Unraveling a Revolution
by Ravena Wolfborn
Summary: This is a collaboration with Jack Hunter. Ravena Wolfborn, new student at Beacon, gets put in a team with Jack Revanant, Azura Horizon, and Zamin Ward. They make up Team JARZ with Jack as the leader. They have adventures, solve crimes that they shouldn't even know about, and have an overall great time doing it. Rated M cause I have no idea what I might write later.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Deadly Nerves

I'm running through the Emerald Forest. Everything around me begins to blur together. My cloak is ripped, as as my combat outfit. Purple tatters surround me and continues to catch on limbs and bushes. I hear Beowolves and Ursai in the distance, chasing me. My life flashes before my eyes as I think of all the things I never got to do, all the things I never got to say.

Suddenly, Beowolves surround me and force me to stop. I turn in a tight circle to see how many I have to face. There are more than twenty Beowolves and four Ursai. I pull my rapier, Blaze, from my left hip. Circling around, I make a glyph that propels me toward the first four Beowolves. I slash through the neck of the first two and Pierce the hearts of the next two with swift motions. I leap into the air to avoid a claw to the head. Catching myself on a glyph, I throw a red dust crystal into the dense crowd of Beowolves and activate it with my Aura. The explosion takes out over half of the Beowolves in one go. Adrenaline increasing, I throw a couple of glyphs in the air and jump from one to the other, slashing Beowolf limbs left and right. I land in a tree and perch in the branch precariously, surveying the damage I dealt. Blood and black smoke surround the area, making it hard to count the Grimm that remains. Squinting, I am able to barely see past the grime and count what remains. More and more Grimm arrive from all sides, closing me in. Circling overhead, a Nevermore caws menacingly.

'If I don't get out of here, I'm toast.' I think to myself.

I jump from tree to tree, trying to remain undetected. Unfortunately, I choose a thinner branch to jump onto, and it snaps under my weight. I fall to the ground rather hard and hear a snap just as a sharp pain radiates from my left arm. The surrounding Grimm hear me and begin to close in. I feel my adrenaline drop and terror sets in. Ursai bound at me and slash toward my face.

I sit up, sweat dripping down my face. I pant hard and squint in the darkness. Checking my scroll, I notice it's only three in the morning. I pull my covers closer, clutching them to my chin. The nightmares come frequently. Ever since I received my acceptance to Beacon, I have them every night.

'Is this a sign? Should I not be a Huntress?' I think for the millionth time. I always know the answer to the last question. I must become a Huntress. I must continue my family legacy.

Tentatively, I begin to fall asleep again. Luckily, the nightmare does not come back.

One Week Later

Packed and ready to go, I take a cab to the docks and hop on the airship. The airship was fast. We hit over Vale within the next hour. I peer out of the window at the amazing view. Over the ridge stood Beacon Academy, a school of Hunters and Huntresses who are learning to rid the world of Grimm.

The airship landed in front of Beacon, and a blond guy pushed his way through the crowd to puke in the trashcan outside. Avoiding him, I step onto the ground and marvel at my soon-to-be home for the next four years. All I have to deal with is people and initiation.

Following the crowd, we make it to an auditorium-like room where two people stood on the stage. The man had white hair and wore glasses. He begins to speak into the microphone, but I tune him out. I inspect the people in the room to the best of my abilities, noting weapons, armor, clothes, and appearance. A couple of people stand out, such as a tall blonde with long hair and gold, bulky wrist bands, a girl in a red cloak with a red, folded weapon behind her back, a white-haired girl with a rapier very similar to mine, and, in the back corner, surrounded by shadows, was a mysterious boy in a gray cloak, white button up shirt, gray vest, and black jeans.

'He appears to be a dual wielder. Interesting.' I snap back to attention when the blonde woman on stage steps up to the microphone. She goes on about initiation and that we were to stay in the ballroom until the morning.

As soon as I had set up my sleeping bag on the floor and changed into my purple yukata, sleep consumed me. Tonight, I have no nightmare. Instead, my dreams are filled with strange faces and a sense of urgency. I wake up to yelling across the room. Those three girls were fighting rather loudly, each telling the other that people are trying to sleep. I roll over, and, for the rest of the night, it's peaceful, with no dreams of any kind.

I wake from the most restful sleep I've had in months. Looking around, I see people rolling up their sleeping bags and putting on their combat attire. I follow suit, rolling and putting away my sleeping bag. I grab my clothes and head to a massive communal bathroom. I choose a shower on the far end, which no one is around. Undressing, I fold my yukata carefully and stow it away from the shower before stepping in and bathing. I finish my morning routine with plenty of time to spare.

Glancing around, I see that a few students are leaving the ballroom. One is a girl with blue hair wearing a lightly armored, sky blue, one shouldered blouse and white harem pants. I approach her carefully, noting that she carried a folded bow at her hip. "Excuse me. Do you know where I can get breakfast? I'm starved."

She looks at me, brown eyes sparkling with amusement. "Yeah. The cafeteria is right this way. You can follow me there. I'm Azura Horizon. Pleased to meet you." She extends her right hand.

I clasp her hand and shake. "Ravena Wolfborn. Nice to meet you, too."

I follow her into the cafeteria and catch a whiff of scrambled eggs, bacon, orange juice, and a menagerie of other food. I walk up to the counter and grab a plate. I begin to scoop eggs and bacon onto my plate, all the while having to keep myself from drooling. Plucking a bottle of orange juice and an apple from the counter, I shuffle over to Azura, who is already sitting at a table in the middle of the room. We eat quickly with silence between us.

Dumping our plates in a dish collector box, we walk back to the ballroom just in time to have the blonde woman from yesterday, Professor Goodwitch, say that we are to follow her. She quickly walks off the stage and out the door. The group of soon-to-be students, full of excitement and nerves, anxiously follow the professor to a cliff.


	2. Chapter 2

**This is absolutely my first fanfic I've ever written. I've written stories before, but this is one that didn't come completely out of my own mind. RWBY is absolutely inspirational. After reading close to 700 fanfics on this site, I just couldn't not contribute, so here I am with a story about a team of OCs. Just to make sure everyone knows, my OCs are not gods. They can't do everything. They'll lose. Sometimes, they'll be seriously injured. They're semblances will not be all inclusive. They have limits, and sometimes, they'll exceed those limits and get hurt. They don't spontaneously regenerate limbs or have awe inspiring reservoirs of Aura that just automatically replenish themselves. I'm just trying to tell you that this isn't an entirely typical OC story.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

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 **Chapter 2: Initiation**

 **'** **Standing on a metal platform, fixing to be launched into a Grimm infested Emerald Forest is not how I thought initiation would go. I thought that we'd all be going against some dust golem things, but no, we get launched off a cliff. What fun.' I complain to myself quite sarcastically.**

 **The first person is launched, then another, and another, until it's my turn. I bend my knees slightly and prepare myself for the force of the launch. Flying through the air, I gather my thoughts and try to formulate a landing strategy. I force my eyes open, the wind sailing past me. Right in front of me, I recognize that white-haired girl from that group. She is using glyphs as platforms to absorb her fall and slow her descent.**

 **'** **That's brilliant! Why didn't I think of that?' I begin to throw glyphs under me as I position my feet in front of me. The first glyph was to slow me. My body passed right through it. The second glyph that I cast is used as a jumping board. By the third glyph, I am able to land on it and then jump onto a tree limb. Slowly, I stand up on the limb, scanning the area. Gunshots can be heard in the far distance, signaling the start of the battles. No immediate threat seems to be present in my vicinity. I jump from limb to limb, maneuvering myself among the trees, heading North toward the temple and so-called relics.**

 **"** **Everything is quiet. Too quiet," I say to no one in particular as I jump to the ground, Blaze at the ready, prepared for anything.**

 **I hear a small, barely audible snap behind me. I turn toward the noise just in time to see the mysterious boy step out of the shadows.**

 **'** **He literally stepped out of the shadows!'**

 **His cloak folded around him, seeming to regret leaving its hiding place. The boy looks up and gives me a small smile, his silver eyes shining with mirth. "Hey there. I'm Jack. Looks like we're partners."**

 **I lower Blaze slightly, realizing he poses no threat to me. "Hey. The name's Ravena Wolfborn. Pleasure."**

 **I turn around and begin to continue my journey North. i hear footsteps fall in behind me as I continue. Suddenly, Jack flings me forward as an Ursa barrels past me. Jack's hood falls back, revealing fuzzy wolf ears.**

 **'** **So, that's it. He's a Faunus. He heard it coming.' I think to myself.**

 **I stand, nodding at Jack as I circle the Ursa. I raise my rapier, cast a glyph under my feet, and shoot forward. I activate a dust cartridge from my rapier, making Blaze glow a crimson color. Thrusting forward, the tip of Blaze embeds itself in the Ursa's flesh, depositing the red fire dust under its skin, burning it alive.**

 **Meanwhile, another Ursa had come up. Jack drew his swords, standing with his feet apart and the blades crossed. As I finish my Ursa off with a quick swish of my blade, removing its head, Jack faces off against the second Ursa. He jumps into the air just as the Ursa clambers toward him, aligning his blades together, spinning so that his blades arc menacingly. The force of gravity propels his rotating body straight at the Ursa's neck. His blades sing from the force and the head of the Ursa falls from the rest of the body which drops dead to the ground.**

 **I flick blood from Blaze's blade and stare in awe. Jack lands in a crouch and straightens, sheathing his blades. He stands there silently, raising one eyebrow and a smirk on his face.**

 **"** **That was epic! How did you do that? Can you teach me?" I go fangirl on him. "Oh. And thanks for the save back there."**

 **"** **Welcome." He turns and starts North again. This time, I follow him.**

 **We make our way through the forest in search of the relics. Occasionally, we'd run into a lone Ursa or a small pack of Beowolves, nut they were quickly dispatched. Suddenly, a yell echoes through the forest, followed by a "NORA!" I turn my head toward the sound. A screech tears through the forest and I look skyward. A Nevermore circles overhead and straightens its wings in front of it to fling feathers toward a perceived threat. Seeing this, I turn to Jack, and he starts running forward.**

 **We emerge from the treeline to see a partially frozen Deathstalker and a circling Nevermore trying to chase after eight figures running toward the ruins in the distance. A roar sounds from behind us and Jack blurs into the shadows. I turn around with Blaze raised to see Jack over an already disappearing Ursa. Red dots begin to fill the area, indicating that nearby nests were disturbed by the cawing Nevermore.**

 **The ground begins to shake and two figures bust through the wall of Grimm that had come to surround Jack and me. The smallest figure straightens and I recognize Azura instantly.**

 **"** **Azura! Thank the gods!" I yell as I duck under an advancing Beowolf claw to lunge and pierce its heart. I pull my blade out and turn to repeat the action on the Beowolves surrounding me.**

 **In my peripheral, I see Azura in the air, raining arrows made of Aura and dust on the Grimm below. Distracted by Azura, i let my guard down, allowing an Ursa to take a swipe at me. The Ursa's strength and claws send me into a tree with claw gashes, oozing blood, along my left side.**

 **I stand, the pain almost unbearable. I raise Blaze in my dominant, right hand and, using a glyph to propel me forward, stab the Ursa through the eye. I yank my blade out just as it begins to fall. I pivot to my left and cast a glyph in time to block a strike from a Beowolf. I turn my dust setting to a new burn dust vial and slip my blade in between its ribs and send the dust into its body where it began to burn from the inside out.**

 **I begin to grow weak and I know my Aura has been steadily getting depleted. With my new wound and the few glyphs I made, my Aura levels are now in the red.**

 **I see Jack finish off a couple of Ursai by jumping from shadow to shadow, beheading or cutting the Ursai in half. THe bigger guy that came with Azura was plowing through Grimm left and right with bladed tonfas. Every step he took sent shock waves through the ground, unbalancing the Grimm around him and creating perfect opportunities for him to get close enough to take them down. Azura was perched in a tree on my left, breathing heavily and clutching a now separated weapon.**

 **'** **It seems that her bow is also dual knives,' I think to myself.**

 **Jack stops next to me and sees my would. "We need to leave. Two of us seems to have expended a lot of Aura. I can't keep this up as it is, either. I'll create a hole and you guys retreat. Got it?"**

 **** **We all exchange looks and give the affirmative. Jack lines up his blades and starts to skip through the shadows with increasing speed, breaking through the line of Grimm on the side with the forest temple. The four of us make a break for it. We make a mad dash for the temple and grab the last available relics, which were corresponding chess pieces. With the last bit of strength and Aura I possess, I grab Jack and propel us up the cliff with Azura and the other guy not far behind. The last thing I see before I succumb to darkness is my right hand covered in blood as I lift it from my side.**

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 **A/N: Please review. Any criticism, in my book, is constructive. I don't care if it's mean or whatever. I'm a big girl. I'll do anything to get better. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I will try to update weekly, every morning on Fridays. If I can't, it might be the next week that it happens. Creativity, to me, doesn't necessarily come easily. Any ideas for upcoming events, PM me. Review, please. Have a good week, everyone.**


	3. Chapter 3

**WOO! Well, I am officially a couple of hours early on updating, due to a little surprise Chemistry class that the teacher sprung on us because he missed Monday. But I bet you guys aren't complaining. I know that I'm not, now that it's over. So, here's the next chapter.**

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Chapter 3: Awakening to a Team

I awaken to the sound of beeping. My nose is assaulted by antiseptic and that horrid smell only hospitals and labs have. I crack my eyes open to see a heart monitor and an I.V. drip bag of saline. My hands go to my side as memories from the fight rush back to me. Bandages are wrapped around my torso underneath a hospital gown.

As I try to sit up, a nurse comes in. "Oh! You're awake. That's great! You just lay back down and I'll check your vitals." She looked over at the heart monitor and began to fill in some boxes in her report. "Alright. Now, if you will, please lift your gown to just above the bandages."

"How long have I been out?" I ask as she undoes the wrap carefully.

"Not long. Just a little over twelve hours. You missed the naming ceremony and dorm room assignment, but that's about it." Just as she removes the last bit of the bandage, the nurse looks down. A look of confusion and surprise adorns her face. I look down to see nothing. Where there should have been at least four wicked scars from the claws of an Ursa is unmarked by anything. There is no wound or scars of any kind.

I shrug off the temporary shock of having healed faster than ever before. "Does this mean that I can leave?"

The nurse shakes her head to dispel her own shock. "Yes. You may leave. I just have to draw up the release papers and have one of your teammates sign it. Who should I call?"

I think for a second. The only person I know that would be on my team would be my new partner, Jack. I don't even know his last name. I proceed to explain this to her.

"Of course you don't know your team. I am so sorry. I'll just call the headmaster and get the answers." She checks the medical folder she carried in with her. "Ravena Wolfborn, is it?"

I nod. "You can call me Raven. I know my name's a mouthful." I smile a little and look out the window. Two black birds fly by and take up in a nest on the nearest tree. Storm clouds can be seen in the distance, muting the moonlight as darkness envelopes the moon. The stars are dim because of the light visible from Vale.

The door opening snaps my attention back to the room. The nurse begins to walk out. I call out to her. "Hey. I need a change of clothes. Could you get someone to bring me some?"

The nurse smiles at me as she backs out of the room. "Of course, Raven."

I just sit there with a smile on my face, trying to envision who the other two of my team will be. I hope it's Azura. She's the only other person I actually talked to here. It'd be nice to have someone I kind of know on my team. That also means that the giant man in green that was with her would be on the team too. I wonder what his name and semblance is.

I gaze out the window again and see that the night has been entirely engulfed by the darkness of the storm clouds. Lightning flashes across the sky, followed by the booming sound of thunder. Maybe this is an omen. Maybe I should never have come to Beacon. I should never have thought that I could escape what happened by becoming a huntress, by trying to become stronger.

The door creaks and my mind snaps back to the present as Jack enters the room stealthily. A bag is in his hand, probably my clothes. He walks toward my bed and places the bag at the foot and then walks back out. As soon as I see the door close, I pull the needle out of my arm and go through the contents of the bag. All of my clothes are in order, even my underwear. I proceed to dress, forgoing my shoes for tonight.

I pull the door open to see Jack standing right in front of the door, acting as a sentry. I tap him on the shoulder. "Thanks for bringing my clothes. Did you already sign me out?"

He turns and quirks his right eyebrow a bit before answering. "Yes, I've signed you out. We can go to the room now, if you'd like. I would believe that you're curious as to whom our other teammates are."

I nod. "Yeah. Sounds great." As we walk, we fall into a comfortable silence not unlike what we had in the Emerald Forest. My mind automatically starts to find things to entertain me. The hallway we walk down had doors lined on both sides. Some had just the room numbers, others had four letters or names across them. We walk by a blond guy in feety pajamas trying, and failing, to get into a room. I can barely suppress laughter at the sight of an almost grown man in children's' sleepwear. Fortunately for him, a tall redhead opens the door after a couple of knocks to let him in. We keep going down the corridor until we're only two doors down on the opposite side of the hallway from the blond's dorm.

"Well, this is it. The key is your scroll. I think yours is in the stuff they brought our uniforms in." He opens the door to reveal a small space with four beds, one desk, and one medium sized black dresser. The room was too small for four people to sleep in, let alone live in. How do they expect us to get anything done?

"This is small. Are you sure this is the right room?" I ask, truly bewildered that all four of us have to live in such a small space.

He nods. "The rest of us have claimed our beds. That means that you get the one in the middle on the left, next to Azura. Zamin has the one to the far right and I am sleeping in the middle one on the right." He points to each as he he says them.

My face lights up at the mention of Azura. 'Yes! I can't believe my luck.' I think to myself before saying aloud, "So, you guys divided the room according to gender? Isn't that a bit cliche?"

He chuckles at that. "It may be, but I thought it would be efficient." I nod, thinking that it just might be. At least we might not have to worry about boundaries.

I see my lone suitcase placed dead center on the bed. I walk over and begin to look through it and decide that everything is perfectly in order. My one favorite book is there, along with my one ribbon, and extra set of clothes and belts. I glance around frantically. I forgot about my rapier. Where is my precious weapon?

I turn around, about to question Jack, when Azura walks into the room with my weapon in her hand. It looked freshly polished. I take Blaze from her hands carefully, inspecting the dust cartridge. The dust I had used during initiation has been replaced and the mechanism carefully calibrated. I look up in astonishment. "Did you do this?" I look into her eyes.

"Of course!" She waves her hands in a dismissive gesture. "It was nothing overly exerting or something. Plus, we are teammates now. I thought I'd do something nice for you."

I narrow my eyes, assessing her honesty. Her eyes seemed to gleam with genuine kindness, unlike so many others I had encountered over my short life. "Thank you. I don't really know what else to say but thank you. This was very kind of you." I smile, happy to have actually made a friend, especially a friend that's also my teammate. Things could have gone way worse.

Her smile widens. She turns toward her bed and pulls out her own suitcase, seeming to look for something. She pulls out some clothes that I assume are pajamas, consisting of a tank top and short shorts. She then skips to a door at the far end of the dorm, opening it to reveal a small bathroom. She closes the door before I can get a full glimpse of everything inside. All I could make out was white tiles that lined the walls and floor.

"I call the bathroom next." I say softly.

Jack looks at me and gives me an amused smirk. "Zamin and I have already taken our showers. With how late it is, I'm surprised that Azura hasn't yet. She must have been in the workshop this entire time."

I look around the room and actually analyse my surroundings. Everything was plain. The walls have no decoration, the floors are just polished wood, the beds are plain wood with a twin mattress. There was no personality to the room. 'Tomorrow,' I think, 'Tomorrow, that will change. I won't have my past repeat itself.'

Jack goes to stand by his bed, just removing his cloak, belt, and boots before climbing under the covers and closing his eyes. I look to his right and see Zamin already asleep, curled and buried under a mountain of pillows that I had not realized were there. Azura exits the bathroom, stretches her arms, and yawns.

"Welp, I think I'm going to turn in for the night. Hurry up in the bathroom so I can turn out the light for everyone, 'k?" She shuffles under her cover and faces the wall before seeming to drift off into sleep.

I pull my yukata, some underwear, and my toiletries out of my suitcase and proceed to the bathroom. My shower goes quickly. I want to get to bed as soon as possible because of classes that I'm sure we have early tomorrow morning. After exiting the bathroom, I turn out the light, go to bed, and pray that my nightmares don't return as I drift off to sleep.

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 **A/N: Okay, well, this chapter wasn't as exciting as the last one, I know. I wanted to explore the characters a little, as well as their surroundings. I have chapter 4 and part of chapter 5 written already. All I have to do is get a beta to read those and they'll go up next week and the week after. Now, at this point, if you were to make a couple of suggestions, such as pairs or plot, I'll definitely will take it into consideration. I was thinking of making this a little mystery, where the team uncovers something big, but I don't have the definite details yet. If you want it to be something specific, PM me. I'll definitely consider it. You know, favorite, follow, review, etc...**


	4. Chapter 4

**Well, guys, this one is my longest chapter, so far. It's a bit of establishment, really. I know that most of you want the fighting and the mystery, but I wanted you to understand the characters and their situations a bit more. I promise that chapter six has an epic fight scene. Ok? You're also going to see more of Team RWBY showing up randomly. So, here's chapter four. Enjoy!**

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Chapter 4: Prepare for... Classes!

A loud noise from my right has me popping up from bed, wide-eyed. Glancing around my unfamiliar surroundings, I see three other beds, each having a person-sized bump underneath the covers, all except one. The bed on my right, but on the left side of the room, was empty. Even the blanket was gone. A groan comes from the floor, and I glance down. Sure enough, Azura was on the floor, having fell out of the bed.

"Are you okay there, chika? Seems you had a hard fall." I giggle a bit before swinging my legs over the side of the bed and bending down to look her in the eye.

She pulls the cover off of herself and sits up. Yeah. I'm perfectly fine. I'm just not used to such a small bed." She smiles a bit and gets up. Azura, then makes her bed and sits on it. "Or a room this small, to tell the truth."

I glance around the room. "I wouldn't understand how the big room thing and all feels, but this has got to be the most ridiculously sized room to share between two girls and two boys. Life is going to be interesting here on out." I flash a small smile as I see the boys start to wake up. "Interesting, indeed."

Jack is the next awaken. He bolts upright and seems to pull a sword out of midair. In a defensive stance, he seems to shake himself and realize where he is. I notice that his ears lay down as he comes to the full understanding that there is no threat.

I look up at him. "Mornin', sleepyhead. Get a good night's rest?" I smile a bit as he just nods almost reflexively.

Jack, then, turns and leaves us as he walks into the bathroom without a word. I turn toward Azura to see a bit of a weak smile on her face. "Where did he even get his sword from. Sheesh, that was kinda scary."

She nods her head. "Kinda? I don't know if I can handle whatever that was every morning."

I look at her and quirk my left eyebrow a bit. "Says the girl who woke me up by falling off the bed. Gods, I thought we were under attack for a little bit there!"

She looks away with a bit of a sheepish grin on her face. "Well, that wasn't entirely my fault. I told you I'm not used to such a small bed."

Just then, Jack exits the bathroom. Somehow, without taking any of his stuff with him, he's fully dressed when he walks out, boots, cloak, and even his weapons on. I am about to question it, when suddenly a small quake shakes the room, and plaster falls in small flakes from the ceiling. As soon as the quake begins, it ends. I glance around the room and see the green giant toss off his pillow palace and emerge from his apparently deep slumber.

A growl emerges from the boy's mouth as he shuffles into the bathroom. "Welp, he's not a morning person." I laugh a little at the clearly drowsy movements of my teammate.

Then, it all clicks. Teammate, we're all teammates. A broad smile creeps its way across my face.'I finally made it. I'm at Beacon. I'm not alone anymore!' My excitement is barely contained. "Yes!" I throw my fist into the air above my head. "I made it! I can't believe I actually did it. This is going to be the best four years of our lives!" I throw my arm over Azura's shoulders. "You guys just wait and see."

Azura smiles as wide as I do, and even Jack's lips turn up at the edges. A crash sounds in the bathroom, harkening the arrival of the green giant back into the room. Another grumbling sound escapes his lips as he scatters pillows and clothes across his bed, seeming to be in search of something. He, then turns to go back into the bathroom with a small bag clutched in one hand and a set of clothes in the other.

I bust of laughing, clutching my sides, when the boy closes the door of the bathroom. "It's already shaping up to be a very interesting year." I cough out the words after I'm done with my laughing fit. I sober almost instantly. "Alright guys. This is fun, really, but I need info. Who's the jolly green giant, and what is our team name? Most importantly, when are we going to decorate?"

Azura faces Jack and motions him to explain. He shrugs and leans against the wall before speaking. "Well, to start, we're Team JARZ. Spelled with a Z at the end. It's a mix of the first letter of each of our names. Jack, Azura, Ravena, and Zamin. Zamin is the so-called the jolly green giant." His hand reaches up to scratch the back of his head. "About the decorating, well, what's wrong with the room as it is?"

Both Azura and I exchange looks of exasperation. "You, mister, might be able to look at blank walls everyday for the rest of the year, but I, for one, am not going to allow it. Now, if you have nothing to add to the wonderful ideas of posters, curtains, and color coordination, we," I motion to Azura and myself, "will take care of this," I pause for dramatic effect as I flick my hand toward the plain, white walls, "catastrophe."

Azura leans in to whisper in my ear. "Where are we getting the money to pay for all this 'decorating' you have in mind? I don't exactly have any money. I'm here on scholarship from Mistral."

Jack quirks his eyebrow again while looking at me. I turn toward Azura. "Hey, don't worry about it. I got it." I point my thumb at my chest and smile smile. I look to Jack. "So, Jack, bro, you left out one itty bitty detail. Who's team leader?"

He looks away from me. "I am."

I stand up and walk over to Jack. I raise my hand and pat his back rather forcefully. "Congrats, bro! Didn't think you had it in you, mister tall, dark, and quiet."

He looks stunned at my acceptance of his leadership. Then, his expression changes as my words sink in. "What do you mean, you didn't think I had it in me?"

"Well, personally, I would've chosen Azura. She's a bit quirky, but she seems capable."

Azura gives me a look of stunned amusement. "Right. Me, capable. Who fell off the bed this morning?" She gives a quick, probably forced, laugh.

"Be that as it may, I only said I didn't think," I emphasize the word think, "you had it in you. Apparently, Ozpin thought differently. And I said congrats. You'll do fine. I think you'll make a great leader."

Azura and I nod at the same time. Just then, Zamin walks out of the bathroom in a sleeveless, green, Asian shirt with a hood, some black, loose pants,and black leather boots. His black hair was wet from a shower and some of it clung to his forehead, over his absolutely back eyes. 'Seriously, I can't even see a pupil, they're so dark.' I think as I stare into the never ending darkness.

I snap out of the trance like state I seemed to be in. "Hey! Now that everyone's up and about, the name's Ravena Wolfborn, but you guys can call me Raven, or Rae when we get a bit closer. I know Azura, but Jack and Zamin, what are your last names?"

Jack goes first. "My name's Jack Revenant. Call me Jack."

As Zamin is putting away all of his clothes into the bottom drawer of the dresser, he speaks. "My name is Zamin Ward. Zamin or Ward will do. Either is fine by me." His thumb pokes his chest as he straightens to his full height.

"Azura, is there anything specific you want us to call you?" I face her as I speak.

"The name's Azura Horizon. You guys can call me Azura or Azure, 'k? Now that we have that settled, what about classes?"

I look at her with wide eyes. "Oh, gods. I totally forgot about classes! How does this even work?"

Jack leans down a bit, and, from the shadows of the dresser he's standing beside, he pulls out four papers and hands them to us. My jaw hangs open in amazement. "That was some awesome stuff right there. So, you what, manipulate shadows?" He nods and looks to the paper in his hands. I follow his lead and do the same. The paper is a list of classes and times. The directions at the top says that we have to have four classes a semester, but we get to pick the ones we take and when, the only exception is combat classes, which consists of only one per semester.

"This is great, guys! We get to pick our classes! how great is this place?" I pause for a second. "Wait, don't answer that. That was rhetorical." I put my attention back to the paper.

'Hmmm. Which classes, which classes? Goodwitch's combat class is mandatory. Oh, maybe History of Remnant with Doctor Oobleck. Yeah, Oobleck is cool. And, it's after lunch. Combat class is after that, , Peach and Port are the only other logical choices after that. Peach is something about Dust Manipulation and Port is Grimm Studies. Alright! Peach's class is only Tuesdays and Thursdays, too! Alright! Combat class is the only one on Friday, too. Only one morning class at nine with Port. That's awesome.' I think to myself.

"Alright, guys! Did you guys choose your schedules?" I say aloud. Azura gives me a thumbs up, and we swap papers. Weirdly enough, she chose the same classes as I did, with the same exact time.

Zamin steps toward me and hands me his schedule. "Why don't we all write our schedule on a piece of paper and tape it to the inside of the door. That way, we know when everybody has classes and where they'll be." We all turn to Zamin with a look of astonishment.

"You are absolutely brilliant! That is a perfect plan." I exclaim, throwing my arms into the air, still holding onto the papers.

I walk over to my suitcase and take out my notebook and pen. I hold my hand out for Jack's schedule, and he passes it over. My handwriting isn't anything to brag about, but it gets the job done. Soon enough, I've got all of our schedules written down. We all have the same combat class, but only Azura and I have all the same classes at the same time. Zamin has all late classes after that, and Jack has all morning classes except combat class in the afternoon.

"It seems that everyone except Azura and me have opposite schedules. The only good thing is that we all picked the same subjects to take, so we can have study parties!" Azura and I high five. "Now, let's turn it in and then we can all get in our uniforms and go our own ways. We can always meet back up at lunch!" I point my hand into the air, forefinger extended toward the ceiling.

"First, we might want to change, Rae." Azura gestures to our pajama clad bodies. She laughs as I go wide eyed.

I throw my arms into the air and look down. Sure enough, I am indeed still wearing my yukata. "My bad. I'll just, yeah. Where's the uniforms?"

Azura's eyes sparkle with the same amusement as the first day I met her. "They're in the closet, over there." She points behind her to a small door in the corner.

"Thanks." I pick the uniform with my name on it and the other essentials I'll need, like my underwear and hair care stuff, and head to the bathroom to change. I hurry and put the uniform on, but quickly decide that I am not wearing this skirt without my tights. I call out to Azura. "Hey, Azura, chica, could you hand me my tights. They're in my suitcase." I reach my arm out of the bathroom door, waiting for Azura to hand me my tights.

I feel the material touch my hand and pull it into the bathroom with me. After I put my tights on, I feel much better about how short this skirt is. Satisfied with my clothing, at least, I turn to my hair. My usually immaculate braid is disheveled and hardly fit for public display. I undo the braid and brush through my light lavender locks. This part of my morning routine is my favorite. With every pass of the brush through my hair, it calms me to a degree not even a massage could. After I finish brushing my hair, I pull my hair over my shoulder and start a loose braid that I tie up with a white ribbon. I exit the bathroom to find Azura right outside. We would have collided if she hadn't moved around me to go into the bathroom and shut the door behind her.

"So, boys, what ya got planned before your classes? What time is it anyways?" I glance at the scroll that I had pulled out of my uniform bag. After activating it, I check the time. Eight forty-five flashed across the screen. 'Crap!'

I repeat myself out loud. "Crap! Azura, we gotta get! We have class in fifteen minutes. We don't even have enough time for breakfast!" I pull my small bag, that I keep my paper and pens in, out of my suitcase and begin to pack up what I had pulled out. Azura steps out of the bathroom and walks to the door.

"Well, come on, then! We gotta run to get there on time!" She throws open the door and starts to jog her way down the hallway.

"Azura, that's the wrong way!" I stand in the doorway and look at her.

She turns around and jogs in the opposite direction. "Right. Knew that."

I shake my head at her obvious lie. "Sure ya did." As she passes the doorway, I begin to jog beside her, my bag thrown over my shoulder. "Do you even have any supplies to take notes with?"

She shakes her head. "No. I told you that I'm here on scholarship. I don't exactly have any money for anything." Her cheeks turn a bit red, showing her embarrassment.

"Hey, chica, you can always ask. I have plenty of supplies, and I can always get more. I'm definitely not short on cash." I give her a small smile and put my hand on her shoulder as we hit the courtyard with the fountain. Suddenly, we hear loud footsteps behind us. It sounds like a herd of elephants moving fast. I look over my shoulder to find eight kids running right at us at top speed. I grab Azura's wrist and pull her off to the side just before she could be plowed down by the rushing students. Still jogging, we seem to be following those hooligans to class. We slow down as we reach the door to Port's class. Our feet are just in the classroom as the bell rings. We find seats in the back, away from most of the students and prepare for class.

Port steps up to the front of the class and I automatically tune him out. For the rest of the period, I just doodle mindlessly across my paper. I shift my gaze over to Azura to see her dutifully taking notes with the supplies I lent her. I sigh and turn my attention toward the front of the class again just in time to hear the white haired girl volunteer for something. She leaves the room for about ten minutes but soon returns in her combat gear. She makes her way down the rows of seats to the front. She draws her weapon right before Port opens a cage. A Boarbatusk springs free from the cage and charges. I look to Azura to see her rapt attention on the scene up front. I smile and focus back on the fight going on. My gaze shifts to the front just in time time to see the girl impale the stomach of the Grimm with her rapier as she breathes hard. Port, then, dismisses class.

I stand and collect both mine and Azura's things. "That was an incredibly short class. Or did I just zone out?"

Azura chuckles. "You definitely zoned out there, Rae. What did you wind up even doodling?"

I blush a bit. "I have no idea. I wasn't even paying attention to what I was drawing." I laugh a bit. "So, what did you think of that white haired girl?"

She shrugs. "That was Weiss Schnee. She's heiress to the SDC. Her combat skills were impressive. If only her attitude was as well. She was horrible to her own leader. Poor girl. I hope she's okay."

"I also zoned out during that fight thing. I only really caught the release of the Boarbatusk and the very end, when she killed it. If what you say is true, and I have no reason to doubt it, I hope the poor girl's okay, too." My stomach growled rather loudly. I chuckle. "Well, on that really embarrassing note, do you think that the cafeteria is still open?"

Azura looks at me and busts out laughing. After she catches her breath, she says, "It should be. All the students here seem to have really different schedules. They should keep the cafeteria open until right after dinner time."

I pump my fist into the air. "Yes! Food, here we come!" I grab her wrist and start to pull her in what I think is the direction of the cafeteria.

Azura taps me on the shoulder. "You're going the wrong way. The cafeteria is the other direction, Rae." I halt and turn to go the other way, all the while still holding on to Azura's wrist.

"Uh. I totally knew that. I was just testing you." I start to jog.

She laughs as I pick up speed. "Of course. So, did I pass?"

"Smartass." I mutter underneath my breath. "Yep! You passed! Now we get to eat." I finished my sentence just as we enter the doorway of the cafeteria. The delicious aroma of eggs and pancakes float through the air. My nose brings me to the line where very few students are standing. I let go of Azura's wrist to grab a plate. I piled pancakes, a little bit of eggs, and a lot of strawberries on my plate. I snag a bottle of orange juice and go find a place to sit. Azura isn't far behind me, carrying her own plate of pancakes, though not as high as mine, and, instead of orange juice, she has apple juice.

We start to eat when Jack appears behind Azura with a plate of food. "I should be used to it by now, but, honestly, that was creepy." I point at him with my syrup laden fork.

He shrugs and sits down beside Azura. She just now notices him and jumps about two feet away from him in fright. She looks at him after straightening her clothes out. "Sheesh. Warn a girl, why don't ya?" Jack just shrugs again.

"You don't talk much, do you, Jack?" I look at him and take a bite of my pancake.

"Why talk, when actions usually say it all?" He shrugs a bit after he finishes speaking.

"Alright, mister philosopher. Point taken. You don't like to talk. I get it. But, that will change!" I point my fork into the air in determination. "I will get you to actually like talking. At least to us, anyways."

He looks at me with an unamused expression on his face. He just shakes his head and begins to eat his small portion of pancakes and eggs. My excitement is thoroughly diminished at his lack of any reaction. I resume eating. 'This is not the end. I will get him to open up.' I think as I finish off my pancakes and eggs.

I look to Azura to see her finish off the last of her apple juice. She looks at me and nods her head. In sync, we stand and gather our plate to put away. "So, chica, we have two more classes today, Oobleck and combat. What are we going to do after three today?" I open the door of the cafeteria and motion her out first.

She nods her thanks and continues through. "Well, I guess we can go into Vale to get decorating supplies. There's not really anything else to do besides that."

We continue down the hallway, heading to Oobleck's class. Class doesn't actually start for another thirty minutes, but, as we walk through the door, I see a couple of other students already in here. We again take a seat at the very back of the class, hoping to avoid being called out by the professor.

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 **A/N: P.S. Zamin's name is pronounced Zah-meen. Well, that was a bit too informative, huh? Classes, people, possible pairs? I have no idea where I'm going with that. Apparently, my brain wants Azura and Ravena together. Hmmm, do you guys think I should. They'd make an interesting couple, indeed. I'm open to suggestions! Let's see, what else... Oh yeah! Follo, favorite, review! Have a nice week, see you next Friday!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Alright, well, here's chapter five. Would you believe me if I said that most of this chapter was written to I Burn and Mirror Mirror from the RWBY soundtrack playing over and over again? Cause it was, weirdly enough. This one is a bit... out there. But, I promise that action is definitely coming. I want to add fights and mystery and stuff, but I have to establish things first, ya know? Character descriptions are really hard when you have OCs. If I were to just do RWBY characters, I wouldn't have to explain all that much, but I like to challenge myself. Well, um, without further ado, CHAPTER 5!**

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Chapter 5: From Drawing to Shopping

I sit down on the inside this time and take out our paper and pens. I can already tell that I'm not going to be able to pay attention to this lecture. He seems like the type to talk way too fast for me to even follow. Just watching him move is giving me whiplash. I look back to my paper and begin the mindless hobby of doodling. Really, I don't doodle so much as draw without knowing what I'm drawing until I'm done. So, when the picture is finished, I can interpret however I want.

My mind wonders off into wherever my mind wonders off during class. Then, a bell rings. I look up just in time to get a flick to my forehead from Azura.

"Why do you always zone out? And doodle? Shouldn't you be taking this seriously?" She gives me a really serious look that, if this were at any other time, I'd laugh at.

I look down to my drawing and have to do a double take. There, on the paper that had just had my pencil to it, is an exact portrait of Azura, down to that amused glint in her eyes. I quickly cover it up. 'How did that happen?' I berate myself. 'Maybe I need to check that last drawing from Port's class.'

I stuff all of my papers into my bag, making sure to also grab Azura's. I follow her out of the classroom and to Goodwitch's combat class, which will be significantly less boring. We arrive just in time for the bell to ring, signaling the beginning of the class. We, again, take seats at the back, prepared to get out of an actual fight today. Goodwitch takes center stage and begins a rather dull speech about attendance and that we'll use tournament style fighting to get read for the Vytal Festival, which is just around the corner. It's a bunch of blah, then something about changing before class and no actual fights today, blah. 'She's actually more interesting that Port. I'll give her that.' I think to myself as she dismisses us for today, telling us to be prepared for tomorrow.

The class files out, Azura and I some of the last ones out. "Well, chica. That was interesting. This has been a really short day, don't ya think?"

She turns to me as we make the walk back to our dorm. "It was a bit longer for me, miss daydreamer." She gives me a playful smirk, and I shake my head.

"I can't help it that the teachers here can't seem to get my attention. It'll be fine. I'll ace the tests and still continue what you call 'daydreaming.' I draw, thank you very much." I cross my arms in faux annoyance. I look away so she doesn't see the smile on my face.

"Yeah. Drawing. I'll believe your mindless doodles are more than just mindless scribbles when I see it." She scoffs and pulls out her scroll as we approach our room. A rowdy blur of red slams into us around the corner. The blur has such an impact that we're sent flying through the air and hit the wall. My bag explodes open, littering the hallway with all of our papers. I scurry to pick them all up and stuff them back into my bag.

"Gods bless it! And I was having such a great day!" The blur turns out to be a small girl in a red hood. She scrambles to help me pick up the last of the papers, which happens to be my 'doodles.' All the while, she constantly repeats apology after apology.

The girl examines it thoroughly. "Hey, this is amazing! Which one of you drew this?" She waves the paper in mine and Azura's face.

Azura snatches the drawing out of the girl's hand. As she looks it over, her jaw drops in what I hope is amazement. She, then, swings her gaze back to me. "You drew this?" She emphasizes the 'you' in her question.

I look away with a bright blush creeping up my face. "Yeah. I think that one's from Port's class. That's not the one from Oobleck's." I look at it carefully. The drawing is of her writing notes. A look of utter concentration and determination is etched on her face, her tongue slightly hanging from the side of her mouth. "Yeah. That one's from Port's."

"What do you mean 'from Oobleck's?' There's another one?" I ruffle through the many papers in my bag until I find the sketch I'm looking for. I hand it to her and look away immediately afterward.

The girl looks between us and smiles. Slowly, she works her way around us and leaves us in the hallway alone. I turn toward Azura to see her smile at me. Then, she takes the drawings and walks to our room.

I rush after her just in time to catch her before she shuts the door on me. I push open the door to see her sitting on her bed, smiling at the drawings before putting them in her suitcase. She faces me as she sits on her bed. "When are we going into Vale? We should leave soon if we're going to be back before curfew."

My blush goes down considerably at the change in subject. "Well, we can leave after we change out of these horrible uniforms. I'd rather be in my combat stuff anyway. You never know when someone might try and mug us." I grab my combat outfit, which is still in my suitcase, and go toward the bathroom. After carefully folding my uniform for me to wear again tomorrow, I change into my normal clothes and exit the bathroom. Azura was already standing in front of the door, ready to enter as I leave.

I walk over to my bed, attach my weapon to my belt, and don my cloak. As I tie the clap, Azura steps out of the bathroom, wearing her combat attire. She already has her bow-knives attached to her hip. She grabs a small coin purse out of her suitcase and attaches it to her other hip. When she finishes, I open the door and motion for her to exit first. She walks out of the door and starts in the opposite direction we need to go. I stand there and pinch the bridge of my nose in both exasperation and amusement. "It's the other way, Azure." She swiftly makes a one-eighty and walks by the doorway again. I close the door and catch up to her within moments. "How do you always wind up going the exact opposite way we need to go?" I ask her with an amused smirk.

She shrugs passively. "I'm just that good, I guess." Her smile gets wider when I bust out laughing.

I finish laughing, and while catching my breath, I tell her,"Ah. I get it. You're totally directionally challenged, aren't you?" A huge grin envelopes my face. She returns the smile with a bit of a chuckle.

"I think it runs in my family. You should see my dad, though. He can't even find my sister's school without help from my mom. I know, one time, he and my sister wound up, like, at the beach instead of her school because he didn't want to stop and ask for directions. The beach they were on is about fifty miles west of where we live, by the way. That is truly directionally challenged. Mine is nothing compared to his." She shrugs it all off rather well, a smile never leaving her face. That glint of amusement in her eyes that always catches my attention returned halfway through her story.

"Do I need to put up a sign on the other side of the hall that says 'Azura, please go this way' with an arrow pointing toward the exit? Cause I can do that." She punches my shoulder, making me collide with the wall. "Ow! There's a wall there." I stand and rub my shoulder while pouting at her. She gives me an incredulous look. Ah, she knows. "Okay, yes I used my Aura to deflect the punch. But I still hit a wall!" I gesture to said wall, which now has a small indent in the sheetrock. I glance around to see if anyone was near us. "We should get out of here before someone notices and makes us pay for that." I wave my hand at the indent.

We continue walking down the hallway, almost to the doors that lead to the airship dock. "So, that's a 'no' on the sign?" I smile as she shoves me through the door. I catch myself before I hit the cement, avoiding a faceplant. "That was definitely a 'no'." I say as I stand and brush off my tights. My finger snags on a hole in my tights, making it bigger. "Well, we have another task while we're in Vale, now." I look to her with a smile on my face. "New clothes!" I pump my fist into the air in excitement. I haven't had a new pair of tights in months.

We board the airship and wait in complete silence as it takes us and a few others to the city. As soon as it lands, I jump up from my seat and start to rush to the exit, only just remembering that I had come with Azura. I stop in my tracks and look behind me and see Azura slowly make her through the small crowd of people without touching anyone. Everyone just seemed to move slightly out of the way as she floated across the floor of the airship toward the exit. When she finally reached me, she flicked my forehead before continuing on, leaving me there, flabbergasted at her grace. My thought process kicked in soon after. 'She flicked my forehead. Ow.' I reach my hand up to rub the spot she hit, knowing that there is no longer a mark or any evidence that it had happened.

I jog to catch up to her as she leaves the airship completely. As we enter the Commercial District, we see dozens of shop specializing in one thing or another, but no stores that sell paints or fabrics come into view. We pass a quaint little café and a couple of bakeries and restaurants. Finally, we walk past a window that has fabrics and art supplies displayed. I double back and walk into the store.

As soon as I walk in, I'm overwhelmed at the diversity of the products. There's everything from paints and canvases to fabrics and sewing equipment. I clap my hands together once. "Alright! This is perfect." I turn to Azura as she walks in behind me. "Price is nothing. Pick whatever you think will look good." I proceed to go to fabrics. We need the perfect curtains to highlight the room just right. Color, thickness, and texture is everything. As I trail down the fabrics isle, I touch each fabric to get a feel for what I want and don't want. I walk by a beautifully light blue colored fabric with the perfect thickness and texture. I pull the fabric up and start to go ask the clerk if she has this fabric in a curtain.

I pass Azura on the way and ask her if she approves of the curtain choice. She gives me a slight nod while contemplating paints. "What do you think of painting our colors on the far wall. I mean, we can do anything to our room as long as we put it back to its original state when we leave for summer break, right? So, why not experiment with colors?"

I smile slightly at her question. "Of course. We can do just about anything we want. I know the boys won't really contribute, so it's definitely up to us. Just get whatever you want, and we'll figure it all out when we get back." I continue to the counter to ask about the fabric, leaving Azura to choose whatever she wanted.

It's just our luck that that fabric does come in curtain form, prepackaged and everything. The clerk offers to keep it up front until I'm ready to check out, and I accept her offer with gratitude. I all but skip over to Azura, still enthused about the curtains. She looks at me and points to four colors on the paint sample strips. "We need the azure, purple, gray, and forest green. one can of each should do it, but I think that we should add a can off white, too, just in case we need to do touch ups. Is that okay?"

"Why are you asking me? I thought I already said to get whatever you feel we need. If you think we need five cans of paint, then I believe you. It's not like I can't afford it." I look to the floor, hoping to get away from her scrutinizing gaze.

"How are you even able to afford this? Where does the money come from?" She crosses her arms over her chest as she interrogates me.

I look up into her eyes. "Well, let's just say that I have a very wealthy extended family." I don't like to talk about my past or my family. Everything gets complicated and the people around me tend to change when I bring it up.

She narrows her eyes at me and doesn't let up with her questions. "What extended family? What's their name?"

I turn away from her and mumble a name. She grabs my face and forces me to face her. She repeats her last question, and, this time, I answer more clearly. "Schnee. My family comes from an extended sub-branch of the Schnee family. I've never actually met them, but I imagine they're horrible. I think that their daughter is that cloaked girl's partner, though."

She looks me up and down, trying to discern if I am telling the truth. I wouldn't blame her if she didn't believe me. Hell, I wouldn't even believe me if I didn't know for a fact that I was descended from one of the CEO's great-uncles. My family has a large portion of SDC stock that was invested in way before I was even thought of. My grandparents are now wealthy beyond belief, and, through association, so am I. I don't explain this to Azura, though. I want to keep everything as simple as possible. Possible association with Schnees, not directly descended like I am, is all that my team needs for now. If it gets to be a problem in the future, then I'll tell them the full story. Otherwise, I'm keeping this my secret.

Apparently she accepts my confession at face value. "So, if you're a Schnee, why is your last name Wolfborn?" That was not the question I expected her to ask.

"Well, you see, I got my grandfather to help me change my name before I applied to Beacon so that I wouldn't be easily recognized. Being famous for something you hate takes a lot out me, ya know?"

She nods her head and thankfully lets the subject drop from there. We walk back up to the clerk to place the order, which included the curtain, the paint that Azura suggested plus a can of black, a lot of glow in the dark stars, and an assortment of brushes. I turn to address the clerk. "Could you have these delivered to Beacon, Team JARZ's dorm, first year dormitory? Extra will be included for however much that will take, just be sure to send the receipt, okay?" I hand her my card and write down where I need our supplies taken. "Thanks!" I wave as we exit the store. "Well, I think that getting my tights should be next on the list, then we can go eat, my treat. Gods, I'm starving." My stomach rumbles a bit to punctuate my last statement.

"That's fine by me. I'm hungry, too." She pats her stomach a bit before setting off to the nearest clothing store, which happens to be about three stores down in the direction we came. The shop she stops in front of is a quaint little gothic store. I gesture for her to be the first to enter as I hold the door open.

"This is really interesting. Why'd you pick this one, Azure?" I look up and down the rows and rows of black clothing, spiky jewelry, and miscellaneous occult accessories. I walk up to the clothing section and find black tights right away. Looking them up and down, I select my size and go to the counter, where I pay, and we leave. "I might get my emblem put on this set. Not now, but later."

We continue down the sidewalk until I spot a restaurant that served authentic Mistralian cuisine. I pull Azura into the place before actually getting a good look at it. I turn toward the maitre d, realizing I don't have a reservation. I pull him aside and do what I seriously hate doing. I name drop, explain my situation and how I would appreciate a table. He startles a bit at the name Schnee and escorts us to a table near the back. He bows and then leaves us to the care of a nearby waitress.

"What you lovely ladies like to drink this evening?" She pulls a pen and pad out of her apron.

I look at the choices briefly. "I'll have a coke in ice with a straw, please. What about you, Azure?"

She looks like she's really thinking about her choices when she puts down her menu abruptly. "I'll take a hot green tea, thank you."

The waitress leaves us to choose what we'd like to eat. I peruse the menu until I settle on the only thing I really recognize, which is the steak with mashed potatoes and gravy on the side. I look up to see Azura looking through the menu carefully, her tongue sticking out of one side of her mouth. I put my hand over my mouth to cover a giggle. The waitress comes back with our drinks of choice and again pulls out her pen and pad. "Have you decided on your entrée, ladies?"She gives us a warm smile.

"Yes, I've decided on a steak, very well done, with potatoes and gravy as my side." I turn to Azura and motion for her to speak.

She puts down her menu. "I'll have the sushi platter and vegetable lo mein. Could I also get a side bowl of soy sauce, please?"

The waitress finishes penning down our orders and collects our menus. She smiles one last time before leaving us to our beverages.

"So, Mistralian. What made you pick this place?" Azura takes a tentative sip from her teacup, careful not to scald her tongue.

I look down at my coke as I twirl my straw around in it. "Well, you mostly. You did say you were from Mistral, right? I thought that you'd like it." I stop twirling my straw enough to look up at her.

"Thank you. I think I needed this. I really do kinda miss home." She gives a very sweet smile, seeming to get lost in a memory.

Our food comes, and we eat in a companionable silence. I chew my steak slowly, relishing the tangy spices. As I put a piece of steak in my mouth, I look up to see Azura dip some noodles into her soy sauce. The look on her face as she puts it in her mouth is utterly comical. We finish the last of our entree and forego dessert. I leave a sizable tip for the waitress as I pay for our food. We exit the restaurant and head toward the airship field. The entire trip was made in silence, all that could be heard was the occasional sigh from either of us.

We arrived at our room to find Jack standing just in the doorway. He looked to be staring at something in the room. We walk up behind him to try and see what's in the room. Our supplies had arrived and were scattered right in front of the door. "I think that we should leave the decorating for later. I'm too tired to do anything right now. Can we do it this weekend?" I walk in, pushing the paint cans and brushes out of the way. I pick up my suitcase and move all of my stuff to the third drawer of the dresser. I grab my yukata and go to the bathroom to shower and change. After I come out, blind to the others and undeterred by the light, I climb into bed and fall asleep.

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 **A/N: Hmmm... Yes, I did say that Ravena was a Schnee. No, I'm not going to change that. It's essential to the plot later on. Oh, and I have a poll on my profile about ships. I know I want one to unfold... but Jack Hunter is really weird about the romance thing... He says a romance is fine, but I have yet to decide if I want a romance for Jack Revenant in the story... Maybe. You think you, my readers, will assist in the choosing of partners or ships... I'm also open to OCs, heck, just PM me for an input. I'll mention that it was YOUR creation... I'm not a crook. So, you know, favorite, follow, review, and DON'T forget to vote!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Strangely enough, most of this chapter was written to Taylor Swift songs. Not her new pop songs, but her older country songs. And maybe a bit of RWBY sountrack thrown in. I know, it's strange, but, hey, it's totally plausible for me to come up with ideas while listening to Taylor Swift! Don't judge me. Lol. Anyway, here's chapter 6... the one with some fighting... finally!**

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Chapter 6: Starting off with a Yang

A Month Later

Classes passed by with little to no excitement. We decorated our room pretty decently, if I do say so myself. At night, we get to see the stars, arranged in an assortment of Remnant's constellations. Jack and I lined up team and partner weekends, where we all bond and take turns choosing activities. This weekend is a parners weekend, and I can't wait to pick what we do.

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Combat Class, Friday

Our team was seated in the back, like always, waiting for the randomly selected participants to be chosen. A randomizing program has all of the names of the students in the class, where it chooses one person then another to duel. The first name pops up onto the board: Yang Xiao Long. I hear an excited "Yes!" from the front of the room. It seems that the room takes a collective breath. For some reason, nobody wants to go up against Yang. She's an amazing fighter, a bit hot-headed and easily angered, but good nonetheless. I would want nothing more than to face her, even if I were to lose. As I was lost in thought, the second dial had stopped and landed. The name Ravena Wolfborn flashed twice before just staying there. I gasp. 'Yes!' I do a mental fist pump as I leave my seat with a huge grin on my face.

I'm practically skipping to center stage, I'm so excited. As soon as I reach my starting place, my right hand starts to twitch, anticipating the drawing of my weapon. Goodwitch comes up to us and tells us to ready our weapons.

Goodwitch looks at her expanded scroll. "Alright, this will be a tournament style duel. Semblances and dust are allowed. The first to have their Aura reach the red loses. Do you understand?" We both nod. "On three, you may begin. One… Two… Three."

At three, Yang charges me, trying to throw her entire weight into her attack. Both of our semblances, I have come to notice, are quite explosive in battle. I do know for a fact that she's fireproof, so my attacks can't really kill her. I throw up a glyph just before her fist impacts my face, infusing some red dust into it so that it'd work as a screen to cover my small retreat. Her fist hits the glyph and an explosion rocks the room. Yang is thrown backward as I retreat backward to plan a strategy. 'I know she's flame proof. I know that with every hit, she seems to get stronger. I know that she's a straight forward fighter. I know she never holds back.' My eyes dart back and forth, trying to devise the best course of action. 'The way the room is set up, I have a vast amount of space for movement and attacks. The floor itself is wood, so I can't really do much with that. Maybe I can throw a couple of glyphs up to continually hit her with explosions. They'd have to be perfectly timed, but I think that that would be my best shot at actually winning.' I look toward Yang, who is now starting to get up. I let her stand before I throw another glyph up right above her head. I don't infuse this one with dust just yet but wait for her to begin her attack. I ready Blaze in front of me, anticipating her attack. I flip the dust chamber to a new vial of red dust, making my blade glow red. Yang charges me again, using her gauntlets to propel her at a greater speed than before. I activate the glyph over her head, infusing it with dust to make it explode just behind her. She stumbles a bit as I duck under her punch. My blade connects with her gauntlet, making it glow with flames. Unfortunately, because she is fireproof, it has no effect on her but mild surprise. I throw a glyph into the air and use another to propel me into the air, where I land on the first one. I look down at Yang as she rights herself. While safe for the moment, I check the board to see where our Aura bars are at. Mine is just slightly below one hundred percent while hers has dip to about seventy-five percent. With just three hits, I'd gotten her well below me.

My attention, then, turns back to my opponent. She was also looking at the board, but with disbelief spread across her face. She shakes herself a bit and slams her fists together. Her entire body flares as her Aura surrounds her in a devastating amount of fire. I jump down from my perch and ready my rapier again. I see her come at me, and I gracefully spin out of the way. Her proximity makes my eyes water as I'm assaulted by the heat of her semblance. Her flames of Aura singes my cloak as her hair connects with me. I flinch a bit, lowering my eyes for a mere fraction of a second. That was a mistake. She comes at me again, but this time, her fist connects with my chest, throwing me across the room. I hit the wall so hard, I hear a deafening crack as I feel the bones in my chest cave and break. The pain is almost unbearable, but I stand, using Blaze as a crutch. I clutch my chest with my left hand and raise Blaze in an effort to cast four glyphs simultaneously, infusing them with red dust, around Yang, boxing her in. She punches through the one in front of her, charging it with her Aura instead of mine, setting off all of the glyphs, causing an enormous explosion. As the flames and dust clears from around her, I see her unconscious body lying on the ground before me. I look up at the board as I fall to my knees, my vision starting to go black from my lack of Aura and the pain of multiple broken ribs. Just before I'm consumed by unconsciousness, I read our Aura levels. The last emotions that coursed through me were relief and pride. 'We tied. I can't believe it.' I let the darkness consume me as I closed my eyes.

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Beeping and a searing pain wakes me. I try to sit up and I wince. My hand flies to the source of the pain, which is emanating from my chest. The pain and bindings make it hard to breathe. I gasp for air, nearly hyperventilating when I feel a hand come to rest on my leg. I shift my head a little and see Azura standing there with her eyes closed, her entire body glowing a sky blue as a foreign Aura tries to mingle with mine. I open the well where my Aura stays, a place in the general area of my heart, to accept her aid. Sky blue and lavender mix as I feel the pain in my chest dissipate. Eventually, she pulls out of her trance-like state and sways on her feet. With speed I didn't even know I possessed, I jump up and grab her before she hits the floor. Carefully, I lay her down on the bed before climbing in on the other side. I close my eyes as I pull the blanket over us and go to sleep.

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 **A/N: Well, this chapter is a bit short, I know. But at least there's fighting! Um, yes, I put Ravena up against Yang. Yes, I know that most of you think that Yang should have won. But, hey, the ending was totally plausible, ya know, in, like, my mind. So, deal with it. Um... follow, favorite, review... and the poll, vote, please!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Woo! Another chapter? And so early in the week? Well, I'm being incredibly benevolent, my readers. Anyway, enough of my Queen Ravena mode. Onward to the next chapter!**

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Chapter 7: Partner Night

I awake again but to the sound of shuffling this time. I crack my eyes open, immediately being assaulted by the light streaming into the room from the curtains. I look to my left, expecting Azura to be beside me, but she seems to have disappeared. I sit up slowly and notice the same nurse from before. "Hey."

The nurse jumps in startlement. She turns toward me and plasters a kind smile on her face. "Oh! Finally. We thought you'd never wake up. You have no idea how long you've been out, Raven? Four full days. You have been unconscious for four days. It was very strange." She gives me a very concerned look. "Your injuries were completely healed after the first day, but you still slept three days after. The doctors are attributing it to Aura depletion, but your Aura levels were at one hundred percent two days ago. On your current chart, I'm putting physical exhaustion."

I look at her with what I know is a shocked expression. 'Maybe it was because Azura and I shared Auras. Whatever it is, I at least got to skip a whole week of classes.' I close my eyes and breathe a sigh of frustration. "Alright. Well, can you get my teammates to bring me some clothes and sign me out again. I just really don't like infirmaries."

She checks a few more things off on my chart and looks up at me. "Of course. I'll call the mas soon as I leave. They should arrive in about twenty minutes." She starts toward the door.

I stop her with a hand on her shoulder. "Wait. I never thanked you last. So, thank you. For both times. May I have your name?"

She seemed a bit surprised by my sincere thanks. She gives me a warm smile. "You're welcome." She crosses the room and opens the door. As she leaves, she turns to me. "And my name is Delilah. Delilah Torchwick." With that, she closes the door.

I just sit there after she tells me her name. That name seems so familiar, somehow. 'I know I've heard her name before. It's at the tip of my tongue, but I can't seem to remember. Oh, well. She was super nice.' But everytime I think of her name, I have a sudden darkness cloud my thoughts, like what I know is evil or something.

As soon as I give up the niggling familiarity that seems to somehow slips from my grasp, the door opens. Jack steps in, puts a bag on my bed, and leaves. He didn't even say anything, but I didn't really expect him to. In the month that I've known him, I've learned that he only speaks when it's necessary. Now, though, I guess he didn't deem it necessary.

I change quickly and open the door. Jack, per usual, was quiet, with his back to the door and a stiff posture. I tap on his shoulder. "I'm done. I know you've probably already signed the form, so what are we doing today?"

He starts walking toward the dorm. "Well, tonight is Friday. I believe it is your turn to pick the activities." He gestures toward me as we pass Weiss Schnee dragging that red caped girl I now know as Ruby Rose down the hall. My head follows them before they disappear around a corner. If I didn't know that Weiss' father would kill her, I would think that those two were dating.

"Oh my gods!" My hands go to cover my cheeks as my mouth forms an 'o.' "I totally forgot! Tonight's team night on a partner week. I haven't even really thought about what I want us to do! Oh no! Okay, okay. Um…. I've wanted to go to that nice Atlesian restaurant that just opened up two weeks ago, or three weeks ago, now. How 'bout it, partner?"

He shrugs noncommittally. "It's your night. We can do whatever you think is fun, really." We got to our room, and Jack unlocked the door and motioned for me to go in ahead of him.

I walk in the color coordinated room. Each of our colors line up with our beds, with our own little trunks at the foot of the bed. They're just regular wooden chests with our emblems on them, and Team JARZ burned onto the bottom. Azura and I decided to also color coordinate our sheets and covers, but the boys opted out with Zamin claiming her prefered his mountain of pillows and Jack just shrugging like he didn't care either way. Men, huh?

I go sit on my bed. "So, when are we leaving? It seems that Zamin and Azura have already left, too. I'm ready, if you are. Well I need to grab my weapon, but I'm ready." I stand up, waiting for Jack to follow. I open the door and make my way to the locker room where Goodwitch makes us keep our weapons when we're not in combat class. I take out Blaze from my locker and slip it onto my belt. "Onward to partner day, fearless leader!" I grab his wrist and pull him toward the airship field.

I grab the seats closest to the front, so we'd be one of the first ones off. I am so excited to go to that restaurant and probably a bookstore or arcade. I can't really decide which, probably whichever we come to first. It doesn't take us long for us to arrive in Vale. We exit the airship and head toward the Commercial District to find A Taste of Atlas. I know it's a really cheesy and over-done name, but I heard that they have actual Atlesian chefs and not just chefs who studied in Atlas. It would be amazing to have some food similar to that which I had at home. It couldn't compare to Chef Avery, but it'll have to do while I'm in Vale.

I smile at some of the memories that come up while thinking of home, like how I used to help Avery in the kitchen. I used to make the soups for our guest and they never knew. Their compliments to the chef always made me smile. We made it to the restaurant while I was still trapped in some of the few good childhood memories I possessed.

The place isn't really fancy or anything. It's just a small, homely place for those who miss their home cuisine. We walk in and are seated relatively easy by a waiter standing by the door. I sit down across from Jack, taking the menu and debating on what to order. My favorite Atlesian entree is the beef stew. After being introduced to rice from Mistral, though, I have been wanting to mix them. 'I wonder if they will even have rice.'

A different waiter came to take our drink orders. I, of course, got a coke. Jack got a water. The waiter left us to peruse the menu some more. I've already decided which entree I want, all I have to do is wait for Jack to decide and the waiter to return. Our drinks come, the waiter takes our orders. Jack got a steak. Of course, it was rare. How cliche.

Since Jack doesn't really talk all that much, I guess I have to start and keep a conversation. I look up at him. "Well, this is nice. Too bad they didn't have any rice so that I could try it with my stew." I fidget a bit when he doesn't do anything besides twitch his ears in my direction. 'At least I know he's listening.'

I see him tense a bit as his ears droop a bit. "What is it, Jack?" I whisper across the table at him. I know he can hear me. He shakes his head and keeps his facial expression the same as it always is, his eyebrow cut and a stern line that is his mouth. It's like he's angry at the world but doesn't want to unleash his inner wolf on the innocents. I lightly slam my hand on the table. "There is something wrong and you will tell me. We're partners, let me help you. Please." I whisper again. I can't afford to make a scene.

"Don't worry about it, Ravena. It's nothing you can do anything about." His ears twitch in the direction of some men in the back corner. "Let's just eat and finish up whatever you have planned for tonight, okay?"

I turn my head slightly in the direction of the men. "Are they saying something about you?" And then it hit me. We're in an Atlesian restaurant. 'How could I have forgotten the prejudices that the people of Atlas hold against the Faunus? I'm so stupid!'

Jack just shrugs noncommittally. "I'm used to it."

"I don't care if you're used to it or not, Jack. You are my partner, and if I want to worry about you, I damn well will. What are they saying?" My face contorts in anger as I say the last part. I already know what they're saying. I've heard them all before. I am a Schnee, so of course I know. The only reason I have nothing against the Faunus is because I learned from them. I was cared for by them. Chef Avery was even a cat Faunus. The only ones I could stand to hate are those in the White Fang. Damn them all to hell, those gods forsaken terrorists.

I was snapped out of my fury inducing memories by Jack. "The usual slurs. Nothing outright, but still insulting. They're not worth my time, those prejudiced scum."

Right then, the waiter arrived with our food before I could act on the fury rising inside of me on behalf of my partner. I thank the waiter and file away those men's faces for future reference. We eat our food in silence. Jack's ears continually twitch and rotate toward those scum in the back. I pay the bill and leave a tip before we leave.

"We still have about two hours before nightfall and before we have to get back to the airship. Do you think we can head down to that bookstore down the street?" I ask as we begin to walk out of the Commercial District.

"Sure. Whatever you want to do. It is your night, after all. How many times do I have to remind you?" He flashed me a small smile that's so rare, it might as well be nonexistent. Jack smiling is a good sign. It even reaches his eyes. I smile back.

"Yay!" I grab his wrist and begin to power walk the the store only a few shops down.

We got to the store, but the lights were all out. I was about to turn around and tell Jack that we'll have to do it later, but, then, I noticed the door was cracked open. I was about to reach for the handle when Jack grabbed my wrist to stop me.

I look up at him as he sniffs the air. "I smell blood, older blood. Someone died today." He lets go of my wrist.

"But there's no police tape or anything. Are you sure?" I look at the handle skeptically.

He sniffs the air again. "I'm sure. We should go." He starts to walk off.

I look between him and the door handle a couple of times before I choose. I take the end of my cloak and grasp the handle to push it open a bit. I carefully open the door, cautiously surveying my surroundings. I push the door open more and start to take a step inside. A hand comes crushing down on my shoulder, where it clamps down forcefully, pulling me to a stop. I startle and would have jumped if I was wasn't being held still by the hand.

It turn to see who it is and come face to face with Jack. My hand goes right over my heart, hoping to stop the pounding. "Gods damn it, Jack. You scared the crap out of me! What is wrong with you!?" I whisper/ yell at him so it won't echo and draw attention to us.

Jack looks me in the eye. "I told you that we should leave. As your leader, you should have obeyed. What you have done could wind up getting us arrested. What were you thinking?" His voice was gruff and deeper than it usually is, almost a growl. If I didn't know that he would never hurt me, I would be scared as hell right now.

"I'm sorry, Jack, but you said someone died here. What if they're not dead, just injured severely. It's our jobs as Huntsmen and Huntresses to help those in need. It's our duty to help whoever is in there. That's why we're training. That's why we're at Beacon, to learn to help people. I can't just leave knowing that, if they are alive, we could have helped but just left them for dead or worse."

His expression of fury subsided. His facial features relaxed to his normal expression. "I see your point. We will check, and only check, then we will call the police whether or not they are dead or alive. Do not touch anything while we are in there, do you understand? I will not have our reputations jeopardized." He moves me behind him as he walks into the shop.

I follow closely, pulling my cloak in around me so as not to disturb anything. There were a handful of books thrown around the place. Some kind of dark liquid dripped from the counter, soaking the few books just under it. I step lightly and carefully, avoiding the small puddles and the strewn books. Jack is ahead of me, sniffing the air. We walk up beside the counter. On the floor, there's a dark blob sticking out from behind the small counter. I look down and see an enormous puddle of what can only be blood surrounding the body of a man.

Jack starts to leave. "We should go. He's dead. We'll call the police when we get to the airship, okay?" As he grabs my wrist, I stumble and hit the side of the counter, knocking a board off the side. When the board falls to the ground, I see something shine in the minimal amount of light available. My eye catches that soft sparkle, and I reach for it without thinking. My hand touches smooth leather and a buckle. I grab the object and tuck it into my pouch before Jack notices.

I allow Jack to pull me out of the shop rather quickly. His ears twitch in all directions as he monitors whether or not we were followed. We make it the airship, where Jack sends an anonymous message to the police, telling them that there was a murder at Tucson's Book Trade. He hung up before they could ask anymore questions or trace his call. The ride back was silent, as was the walk back to the dorm.

After we arrived back at the dorm, I changed and went to bed without even saying goodnight to the team. My sleep was filled with nightmares for the first time in a month.

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 **A/N: Ah, you see, people, I have decided that I'm writing fast enough for BI-WEEKLY updates. Every Tuesday and Friday, I'll post. Isn't it wonderful? Action, strange happening, definite romance, and unexpected characters is in the future. I think that there should have been a confrontation with those idiots at the restaurant, but, hey, I had more important things to get to in this chapter. Maybe they'll be back for a butt kicking, maybe not. I have no idea yet. Well, ya know, favorite, follow, review. The poll is fixing to be taken down because I'm set in stone as to the pairings now. Plus, no one votes. Le sigh. But, YAY on the update news!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I just want to tell you that this has a lot of sadness, anger, regret, bloodshed, etc... Some of it is a little detailed but not fully. I mean, this chapter is the goriest yet, but still not as gory as I can get. So, um, enjoy and try not to haunted by what you read. Thank you.**

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Chapter 8: A Nightmare Relived

I open my eyes to find myself standing in front of a mirror. I'm not me, though. Well, not the current me, anyway. I'm eleven again. I look around and see a party going on. It's my grandparents' anniversary. They threw a huge ball that night to celebrate it. I turn back to the mirror, but it's gone. I look around in panic. I know what happened that night. That was the night my parents died. That was the night Avery died. That was the night my life became a living hell.

I begin to run toward the kitchens and run into, well, through a man just standing there with a glass of champagne in his hand. I stop, gasping at the situation, my hands going to my chest, over my heart. I look back at the man, who is still standing, still talking, still drinking, never having noticing me run STRAIGHT THROUGH HIM! It takes me a moment to notice that I'm absorbed in a memory, a nightmare. Suddenly, all the glass in the room busts inward, followed by men and women in Grimm masks, their Faunus traits, that I know they have, covered with a cowl.

A boy with red hair and horns with his eyes covered with a Grimm mask steps forward. "We are here for the Schnees! All others may remain unharmed, but only if they cooperate." A wicked smile fills his face at the prospect of death. He motions for his obvious subordinates to move forward. "Collect all Schnees. There should be five of them here. Two older, two just younger than the geezers, and a little one. I want them all brought to me. Move!"

The Faunus move into two groups, one ushering the guests into a corner, while the other starts to wade through the crowd, searching for my family and I. I run to the kitchen, fully absorbed in this nightmarish memory. I hide in the pantry as I did back then. Avery comes through the door, brandishing a kitchen knife.

"It's okay, little one. I'll protect you." He pulls me into a one armed hug to comfort me. I realize that tears had started running down my face, my body wracking with silent sobs. "I need you to promise me something, little one." I nod. "I need you to promise me that you'll not hate the Faunus because of what might happen tonight. I need you to promise never to condemn a species for the actions of the White Fang. Promise me, little one. Promise me."

I look up into his frantic gaze. "I swear on all that I am and all that I love that I will not condemn the Faunus for what the White Fang will do tonight." I pull Avery into a warm hug.

I hear yelling and metallic crashes , signalling the White Fang's approach. Avery turns to me and whispers, "I need you to do something for me. If you ever meet my daughter, could you tell her that I never wanted to leave her. I didn't want to leave her to those vicious terrorists. I was forced out because I didn't believe in the violence. Her name is Blake Belladonna. She'll be a cat Faunus, like me. Could you do that? Could you tell her I loved her and never wanted to leave her?" Tears start to form in his eyes, but he blinks them away.

I nod. "I will." With that, he pushes me into a small crevice in the back of the pantry and walks out, closing the door behind him.

Avery's muffled voice can be heard through the door. "What are you doing in my kitchen? Get out! Now, before I use force."

The clang of metal and a few muffled screams and gasps of pain echo through the cracks in the door. I see the blood begin to leak under the bottom of the door. I gasp and my sobs get worse, my lungs constricting as panic sets in. It gets harder and harder to breathe until my world goes black, my body relaxing into a peaceful but limited oblivion.

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My eyes pop open as I gasp for breathe. I sit up in bed, the covers falling off of me. A chill creeps up my arms as the air hits it, the sweat coating my body making the cold even more severe. I look around the room and assess my surroundings. 'I'm in the dorm room. I'm not back at the mansion. I'm safe.' Then, the sadness hits. 'Avery's still dead. My parents are still gone. Those bastards still got away.' Tears start to collect in my eyes and I wipe them away. I check my scroll for the time, 5:47 a.m. 'I can get up. Maybe I'll go to Vale for breakfast."

I go through my morning routine, changing, doing my hair, and brushing my teeth. I look at my sleeping teammates and notice Jack is awake. I nod at him, slip my rapier on my belt and leave quietly. As I close the door, Jack closes his eyes again, probably preparing to return back to sleep.

The ride on the airship was eerily quiet, me being the only one on the ship. The trip to Vale seems to take twice as long as it usually does because of this. The airship finally lands at the airfield at 7:04. I walk to the Commercial District, taking the same path that Jack and I took yesterday. I pass by Tucson's and see the police tape surrounding the door, blocking the entrance. I shiver involuntarily at the horror that I'd witnessed and the memories it drags up.

I pass the restaurant we ate at last night. At the end of the street rests a little café with a small, square balcony that I had discovered about a half a month ago. It's a quaint little spot that just helps you unwind after a stressful day, and I have definitely had a stressful week. I walk up to the place at about 7:37. Luckily, this little café opens at 6:00, so I just walk in. I walk up to the counter and order my usual mocha frappé and an apple crêpe. I walk out onto the balcony and sit down,taking out my scroll to check the news and my email.

Before I know it, my frappé and crêpe are gone. I check the time, which is 8:15. Time has gone by so fast. I learn that the police got an anonymous call tipping them off to a murder at a bookstore, like I didn't already know that. I also learned that there were more dust robberies. The White Fang is suspected, but the person they know that led the heist is a Roman Torchwick. I pause at that name, Torchwick. That's the name of that nurse. This is why I had that bad feeling when she told me her name. 'I'm going to have to ask her about this.' I think to myself.

Just then, a blond monkey Faunus and a dark haired girl with a black bow and Amber eyes walk onto the balcony. They sit on the other side, near the railing while I stuck near the building in the back. They both order tea and begin a conversation. They don't even notice I'm here. Soon, though, their discussion turns dark. The girl starts to tell the blond boy her story, how she used to be in the White Fang, how she left, why she left, and most everything in between. They end on an even darker note. She wants to take down Torchwick. They start to leave, and the monkey boy calls her Blake.

My mind races. 'It can't be. She can't be.' Then, I look closer. She has his eyes, his dark look. Her bow twitches. I smile at that. She could be his daughter. I can finally fulfill my last promise. I see them leave the café. I forget my trash and almost forget my scroll. I see them walk past the balcony, and I jump over it. They're walking rather casually, so it's easy to catch up.

"Hey, girl! Wait!" They keep walking like they don't hear me. I resort to something that will definitely get her attention. "Blake! Stop!" I stop jogging when they turn around to stare at me.

"Yes?" Her eyebrow goes up, just like Avery's used to. A sudden pang of sadness hits me, and I frown.

"Is your name, by any chance, Blake Belladonna?" I look at her hopefully. I bite my lip in anticipation while lightly wringing my hands together.

Her eyebrow returns to its naturally resting spot. "Yes, that is my name." She gives me a curious look.

"I… I have something to tell you. A message, from your father." Her face contorts in confusion and a hint of sadness can be seen in her eyes. "I knew him when I was little. He… He was my family's chef. He was my best friend."

"You keep saying was. Where is he? What happened to him?" The sadness in her eyes spreads.

My memory flashes back to that day. I wake from my faint and stand on wobbling legs. the blood seeping from outside has had the time to dry, almost hardening completely. It crackles under my feet as I walk toward the door. When I open it, I witness a bloodbath that I will never be able to forget. White Fang members litter the kitchen with their corpses. I look around, fighting the sudden urge to vomit, trying to find Avery. Finally, I find him. He's on the far side of the kitchen with a sword sticking out from his chest. Blood soaked his clothes, drying a ruddy brown. His eyes were open and lifeless. I pick up his hand up and cry harder than I've ever cried before.

The snapping of Blake's fingers pulls me out of that blood filled memory. My hand goes to my cheek which is soaked in tears that I just realize I had been shedding. "He… He died. In a White Fang attack on my family a little over five years ago. I'm so sorry. He wanted me to tell you that he never wanted to leave you. They forced him out of the White Fang. He never wanted to leave you with them. He could tell that they were changing. He knew they were getting more violent and he was basically forced out. They wouldn't let him take you with him. He loved you so much and talked about you so much. I'm so sorry." I break down from the overload of emotion that this meeting has brought on. The sadness, the longing, and the anger all manifest at the same moment, sending me to my knees as I cry.

Blake gets down beside me and pats my back as I cry. I look up to see tears streaming down her face. "Your family? Who are you?"

I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths, suppressing my emotions enough to talk. "My name was Ravena Schnee. Before I came to Beacon, I changed my last name to Wolfborn."

She looks at me in disbelief. Slowly, she removes her hand from my back. The sadness in her eyes is quickly replaced by revulsion. "Schnee? You're a Schnee?" She scoffs at me as anger seeps into the revulsion, mixing together to form hatred. "What did you do to him? Why was he killed?" I notice that her hand starts to inch its way to her weapon on her back.

My mouth drops open at her implications. "How dare you?! I would never hurt Avery. He was my best friend. He was everything my family was not! He protected me when I couldn't protect myself. I learned everything I know because of him, because of his sacrifice. I loved him like he was my father!" My voice started to get louder with each sentence. "The White Fang killed him! The White Fang and that evil, twisted red haired boy with horns and a katana!"

Blake was taken aback by my anger. She flinches at my last sentence, whether in fear or recognition. Her hand drops to her side as she stares at the ground. "I'm sorry. I just… You're a Schnee. Schnees hate the Faunus. I… I didn't know." I could hear the regret she voiced in every word.

I place a hand on her shoulder as my anger is locked away. "It's okay. I know how you feel. I know the utter hatred that cuts you so deeps that it seems like nothing can staunch it. I understand. But you need to understand that your father was a great man. He was all that is good in this world. He made me make two promises that night. I was eleven years old, but I still remember every word. He made me promise not to hate the Faunus as a whole. I could hate the White Fang, but I couldn't hate all Faunus. I uphold that promise. My own partner is a wolf Faunus and he's a good person, broody maybe, but good." I take a deep breath as a small smile lifts the corners of my mouth. "The other promise was that if I ever saw you, I'd tell you what I have. I… I upheld those promises because they were his last wishes and because I loved him."

She looks up at me with a smile very similar to Avery's. "Thank you for that. Thank you for telling me." She turns away and starts to walk away.

As she turns her back to me, an idea comes to me. "Hey, wait." I reach into my pouch and pull out my wallet. In it is only three pictures. There was a picture of Avery, his hair pulled back in a ponytail with his cat ears on display, concentrating on measuring milk. I pull this one out of my wallet and ignore the one of my parents and I and the one of just Avery and I taking a selfie with my old scroll. I take the picture, look at it one last time and hold it out for Blake to take. "Here. I want you to have it. I have more, so don't even think about refusing."

She takes the picture very carefully, her smile widening. "Thank you so much. I could never repay you for this. I… Thank you." She wipes a stray tear from her eye and then walks away.

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 **A/N: This chapter is so freakin sad. O meh god! You know when you read something and the scene plays in your mind as you imagine the characters? Well, I had to write this. I'm haunted by this in my own dreams. I didn't know that it could be this vivid for me. I've never even seen someone die before, not even peacefully, but this chapter haunts me. I see it replay in my mind at the weirdest freakin moments and I just burst out in tears or contort in pain. The things I put up with for your entertainment. Ugh. Anyways... Favorite, Follow, Review. And i still have to take down that poll. *Hangs head in shame and annoyance.* Anyhow... yeah, do that stuff.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Well, I did promise bi-weekly. So, here's chapter 9.**

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Chapter 9: Little Leather Book

I beam at today's events as I walk to the airship. 'I accomplished my last promise. I can't believe that Blake has been just down the hall from me this whole month without me realizing it. This really is a small world.' My smile never leaves me as I board the ship and make my way to the door room. I check my scroll. It's only 9:22. So little time for so many emotions. I can't believe I've only been gone about two hours.

Scroll in hand, I walk up to the door and unlock it. I carefully push open the door, peering inside. Zamin was still under his pillows, but Jack is gone and Azura is sitting on her bed, stretching. I walk in and close the door, knowing I wouldn't be disturbing anyone.

Azura rubs her eyes then looks at me. "Where did you go this early in the morning?"

I sigh. "I went to Vale to get breakfast." I look away from her so that she doesn't see my eyes still red. "Where's Jack?"

Azura looks around the room. "Where _is_ Jack? He wasn't here when I woke up."

"Oh well. He's entitled to his own time, I guess." I shrug it off and sit on my bed. I take off my weapon and cloak and set them at the foot of the bed. I yawn and stretch. I lean down to take off my boots and slide my rapier under my bed in the process.I turn to Azura as she goes into the bathroom. "Imma take a nap, 'k?" I lay down and pull the covers over myself, stopping at my chin. I turn over on my side, facing Azura's bed, and close my eyes.

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I'm awakened by the jostling of my shoulder. I sit up quickly, smacking my forehead on something. A yelp of pain sounds. I open my eyes to find Azura rubbing her jaw. "I'm sorry. You just startled me. Is your jaw okay?"

She moves her jaw around, check the mobility and pain level. "Yeah. I'm ! It's Saturday night! What're we gonna do?"

I look up at her. Her jaw was starting to turn a light purple as a bruise begins to surface. "Well, as much as I like the color purple on you, I think I can fix your face."

She looks at me with as her jaw drops. "What!?"

It dawns on me what I just said, and I laugh. "Oh. No, I meant the bruise forming on your jaw. You could do it, if you have enough Aura."

She busts out laughing at my horrible choice of words. "Yeah. I have enough Aura." As if to show me, the bruise starts to fade. "See? All good."

"Yeah, chica." I smile at her. "You're good." The entire bruise had faded completely. "So, how about we train today? We haven't done that in a while. I mean, most of my training is with Jack, and we need to think of some awesome combos and stuff."

She shrugs. "That sounds good. It's something to do, anyways." She begins to walk toward the door. "Well, ya comin'?"

I slide my shoes, cloak, and weapon back on. "Yeah. I'm coming. I'm coming. Don't get your panties in a twist, chica." I walk up behind her as she opens the door and starts to go the wrong way, again. I grab her arm and pull her toward the exit. "Wrong way, chica."

As we turn the corner, my body crashes into what seems like a brick wall. I'm sent careening into Azura as I see dark orange hit the ground in front of me. I jump up to see who I'd run into. Checking around the corner, I see a boy a couple years older than me feeling around on the ground for the spilled contents of his sling bag. I rush to help him pick all of his stuff up.

I gather a couple of pens and pencils into my hand and try to hand them to him. He looks up at me, somehow not seeing my outreaching hands. "Hey. Are you going to take the pens? I'm trying to give them to you."

A figure, then comes up behind the boy. A girl I recognize as the fashionista of the school, Coco Adel, lowers her sunglasses on her nose. "And what is going on here, Fox?"

"Nothing much, Coco, just trying to get my stuff up." He slowly reaches his hand up, slowly swiping at the air until his hand connects with the pens.

A realization strikes me as Coco says his name. "Oh my gods. You're blind. I'm so so very sorry. I wouldn't have been so rude if I'd have known."

He waves a dismissive hand if front of his face while he stands. "It's no problem. Newbies wouldn't know me unless we'd met. The name's Fox Alistair. It was nice bumping into you." His lips upturn a little at his own joke.

"Alright, Fox, enough flirting. We have an assignment to finish. If you're done here, I'd like to get back to the room." Coco pushes her sunglasses back up and starts to walk away.

As Fox begins to catch up, I see Coco smack him on his butt. I chuckle a little under my breath. I look back to Azura, who had been unusually quiet during this catastrophe. As I turn my head, my eye catches on a particularly shiny bit of metal on the ground. I walk over to the object and pick it up. 'It looks so similar to the one that I… ' My thought cuts off as my hand goes to my belt pouch. I open it and root through it and realize that the book is gone. 'This must be it. I had forgotten all about it.'

I inspect the book in my hand. The buckle gleams in the florescent lights of the hallway. The leather was slightly worn from use. A few of the pages stick out from the binding in various directions. The binding was a simple belt-like buckle. I lift the leather strap and pull it free of the buckle, opening it.

Azura comes up behind me. "What's that? Is it that boy's?"

I shake my head. "No, I picked this up yesterday when Jack and I went out." I don't elaborate all that much because we're out in the open. Anyone could eavesdrop on us out here in the halls.

I close the book and take Azura's hand and rush back to the room. I fumble with my scroll before it unlocks the door. I pull Azura inside. As I turn around, I see Jack and Zamin sitting on their beds. Jack is fiddling with his swords, and Zamin is, surprisingly enough, reading. "Jack! I remembered something from yesterday. Remember Tucson's? And how we went in? Well, when you started to pull me out, a panel came loose and there was something inside. It was a little book, and I took it." I hold the unbuckled book up.

Jack's attention shifts from his swords to the book. His eyebrow lifts a bit. "And you just remembered this?"

I nod enthusiastically. "Yep." I rub the back of my head in embarrassment. "Well, ya see, I kinda just slid it in my belt pouch and totally forgot about 'til I bumped into Fox in the halls just now. It kinda slipped out of my bag. I saw something shiny in the hall and, just, remembered what it was."

Jack looks at me skeptically. He uses my signature response to annoyance then, pinching the bridge of his nose and sighing. "Of course you did. So, what is the book, anyway?" He gestures toward my raised hand, which has the book in it.

"Oh! Right. Well, as far as I've read, it seems to be Tucson's journal. I only got to read a partial entry, but it seems extremely detailed. The first date is roughly five years ago, on November first." A feeling of sadness overcomes me. That was two days before that horrible day, two days before my grandparents' anniversary celebration. I shake my head to root myself back in the present. "Apparently, Tucson was a pawn of the White Fang. He was in on the planning of the attack on a Schnee Manor two days after this first entry." I frown.

Azura looks at me with curiosity. I felt her put her hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay, Rae?"

I force a smile on my face. "Of course, why wouldn't I be?" She narrows her eyes at me. Her expression tells me that she doesn't believe me at all. I shrug her hand off my shoulder, flinching away from her small comfort. The hurt in her eyes nearly makes me crack, but I hold myself together to finish. "Anyway, as it says here, he didn't actually go, but he was the one that retrieved the floor plans and helped to devise a strategy for someone called Adam Taurus. Adam apparently," my voice cuts off as an image of the red haired boy scrolls across my vision. My voice becomes weaker and I can barely keep it from squeaking, "led the attack."

Jack holds his hand out for the book. I hand it to him as tears begin to form in my eyes. 'I'm about to break down in front of my teammates.' I swallow hard, forcing the tears down as anger swells inside me. 'Now, I have a name to go with his face. Now, I can start searching for him.' I grit my teeth and wait for Jack to finish reading over the first few entries in the journal.

"Well, this seems to be a rather detailed depiction of White Fang plans and attacks. The question is, though, is what should we do with this information?" Jack passes Zamin the book at his insistence. Little 'hmmms' and 'uh-huhs' come from Zamin as he scans the pages. As he turns the next page, though, a small paper drops out of the book. It floats down to the floor, landing face down. Jack picks it up slowly, turning it so that he could inspect it. A look of surprise covers his face as his eyes peruse the paper. He, then, passes me the page, roughly shoving it into my hands.

I look down as I turn it face up. There, upon the paper, is a picture of my entire family. My father and grandfather stand behind three chairs, which seat my mother to the left in front of my father, myself in the center chair, and my grandmother to the right in front of Grandfather. Two red X's cover my mother and father's faces. My breath catches in my throat as I stare at the photo more. On the very bottom was a neatly written sentence in red. It read: "Schnees to kill."

I pass the picture back to Jack, who looks at me questioningly. "I can explain. All of this. I already told Azura some of my story, but you have a right to know, as my teammates and friends. My name was Ravena Schnee." I explain the whole thing, how I changed my name, the attack, my family, Avery, and my vowed vengeance against the now named leader of the group that attacked that night. There's nothing more, really to tell. I'm not going to tell them about my nightmares or tears. I'm not going to explain my constant thoughts of inadequacy. I do tell them that their company helps. I do explain that the loneliness that I had felt before is basically gone since I'd met them. "My life is so much better since I changed my name and decided to come to Beacon. You guys are the best." Tears had started to roll down my face sometime during my story, and I couldn't hold them back.

I pull Azra into a hug that somehow ceases the flow of tears. The warmth is addictive. I pull out of the hug to beckon the other two forward for a group hug. Zamin steps forward and nearly crushes Azura and I while Jack hung back, refusing the hug, with a warm smile on his face. I see the minute loneliness in his eyes disappear before being replaced by contentedness.

I disengage Zamin's arms from around me, twisting or his grasp to suck in much need air. "We need to do something with this information. It needs to go to the proper authorities. We can't have something so valuable slip from the hands of someone who can actually do something." I motion toward the journal.

Azura grabs the journal. "We could totally do something." She flips to the back of the book, and presumably, to the last entry in Tucson's journal. "It says here that there's a mission for an assassination team in Mistral in two weeks. Well, I so happen to know that we're going to be getting a mission assignment opportunity this coming Wednesday. So, why don't we take a mission in Mistral, ditch our Huntsman, and snoop around for information?" Azura ends her idea with a flourish of her arms, making them move about her body.

I look to Jack. "Come on, fearless leader, whatta ya say?"

Jack looks around, and I follow his gaze. Even Zamin has taken it up trying to convince him with a pleading look. He sighs in defeat. "Fine. But while we are out in the field, you defer to me as defacto leader. I do not care if there are twenty Huntsmen and Huntresses around, in this, you will come to me about. No wandering off on your own, either." He glares at me. "We will do this as a team or not at all. I don't want any of you hurt or killed on my watch. Do you understand?"

We all look at him strangely for a second before agreeing. "That is the longest I've ever heard you actually talk without being asked a

direct question." Jack narrows his eyes at my before going back to what he was doing before Azura and I busted into the dorm. Zamin

also diverted his attention away from us and back to his curious black book with red letters on it. Azura and I exchange a look of

amusement before laughing. It was the kind of tension-lifting laugh that revitalizes your spirit. After we calmed down a bit, Azura

handed the journal back to me, and we all settled in for the night.

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 **A/N: You see, my life has been possitively hectic lately. I will still try to update, but if I fall off the radar for a little, do not despair, my readers, I will be writing, just maybe not posting. I will perservere, because this is absolutely the most I have written ever, even when I have been trying to write a book for seven years. I can't believe the progress of this story, even though not much has actually happened. Much is coming. I'll even let you readers help me. How would you like this to end? Fluff? Death? Torture? Possible cliffhanger with definite sequel? Much to decide, much to decide. So, follow, favorite, review, guys! And I finally took down that horrible poll that was going nowhere! :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Well, this update brings you a new fight! WOO! Bet you can't guess between who... Or you can... I mean, the title is a major clue, guys. Lol. Here's Chapter 10!**

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Chapter 10: Shadow vs. Shadow

Next Wednesday

Class is how it always is. I draw, Azura takes notes for the both of us, and the professor drones on and on for what seems like an eternity. This goes on for two whole classes. Then, combat class comes around. This is, personally, my favorite class of the day. The fighting, the freedom, and did I mention the fighting. I love to watch all of the teams fight. The diversity in styles and weapons are amazing. I could watch the acrobatics Ruby performs, the grace Weiss exudes, the ninja-like dexterity of Blake, the explosiveness Yang literally possesses, the mystery Jack seems to bleed, the ferocity of Zamin, and especially the way Azura utilizes Aura all day, every day.

The randomized system chooses the first opponent: Blake Belladonna. The ninja is going to be tough for anyone to beat. The chooses the next opponent soon after: Jack Revenant.

'Oh boy, this is going to be very interesting, very interesting indeed,' I think to myself.

I move to the aisle and sit on a step so that I'd have an unobstructed view. The two shadow bred warriors enter the stage and take up their positions. A small flicker of recognition, hardly recognizable from this distance, flashes in their eyes as they look at each other. Blake's mouth moves, but the words are so quiet, I can't hear. Jack just nods at whatever Blake just said. They both, then, draw their weapons and ready themselves.

Goodwitch forgoes the speech that she drilled into us for the past month. She sets the Aura indicator and counts to three. At three, the two Faunus begin to circle each other. Each of them seems to assess the other, recognizing them as a threat. Jack was the first to move. He enveloped himself in the miniscule shadows of the room, disappearing before, seconds later, reappearing behind Blake. He raises his swords at a speed barely detected by the naked eye and sliced downward. Blake counters, pulling the cleaver/sheath from her back to block the strike as her katana slashes forward, aiming for Jack's open chest. As fast as Blake is, Jack proves to be faster as he again disappears before bursting out of the shadows right over her head. Blake moves out of the way, Jack's blades barely touching her. A bit of her hair was cut in the dodging process, but she was otherwise unharmed. If she had been Yang, Jack would most likely be road kill by now.

Blake crouches low, bringing her katana to just eye level with the edge of the blade pointing outward. Jack leveled one of his blades, pointing it at a forty-five degree angle upward, while the other acted as a defense with the flat of the blade facing him. Blake leapt toward Jack, knocking his offensive blade to side and skirted around the defensive to place the blade in his chest. Jack moves back but still takes a small hit. Her blade slices his shirt and cuts him just left of his heart. A small amount of blood starts to seep into his shirt, staining it red.

Jack shows no outward sign of pain. I look up at the Aura indicator to see Jack's Aura drop fractionally. Jack goes on the offensive this time, leaping at Blake to slice her right arm, where her blood starts to flow down, loosening her grip exponentially. The determination in her eyes, though, show her resolve to end the fight quickly. With both of her blades in hand, she rushes at Jack, hacking and slashing faster than his Aura can heal him. His Aura bar slowly decreases until it's almost to the red.

Jack disappears in shadows again, reappearing just long enough to slice Blake's other arm. He repeats this technique until they're both nearly done for. Blake falls to her knees, but finds the strength to rise and leap for one last attack. Jack blocks her blades, but Blake throws out her leg, catching his knee. Jack falls to the ground on one knee as the buzzer goes off. Jack's Aura had touched red. Blake won.

Both of them are covered in slight scratches, that were once horrible cuts, that had bled into their clothing, staining them crimson. Blake assisted Jack into a standing position as each bowed to the other. With the match over, they exit the stage.

I stand up to applaud like everyone else. I run up the stairs and to the locker room just as Blake and Jack. "That was great, you guys! That was one of the best fights I've seen all semester." I smile at both of them.

Jack raises his eyebrow at me. "Indeed. Blake was an exceptional opponent. I hope to duel again." Jack turns to Blake. "Next time, I will win." His last word was a growl of challenge.

Blake seems unphased by his alpha display. "Challenge accepted." She walks away.

"Bye, Blake. See ya around." Blake acknowledges me with a wave of her hand as she put her weapon away.

"You were great, Jack. I bet you will win next time, just you wait. It'll be awesome. We just need to train more!" I pump my fist into the air above my head.

I look at Jack as soon as some of my excitement has fizzled out. The small cuts that he had sustained were healing nicely. Most of them were completely gone with no scar to show for his efforts and pain. The few that remained were the deeper ones, and they were healing before my very eyes, closing skin but leaving behind the faint traces of blood that had leaked out. 'At least he doesn't have to go to the infirmary. I've definitely had enough of that place.'

I sigh softly and turn to leave. "I'll see you back at the room, Jack." His response was a slight grunt that I took for a 'yes.'

I walked down the hall toward the dorm. I was about halfway there when an announcement sounded on the speakers telling the first years to go to the amphitheater for a speech. I turn around and make my way down the halls again. I arrive at the amphitheater in time for Ozpin to take the stage. Ozpin's speech was something about individuality and diversity or something. Ozpin dismisses us in his usual manner to pick missions.

I turn around to find Azura right behind me. I jump, startled by her close proximity. "Damnit! You scared me, Azure!"

She laughs at me. "That was so easy. Aren't you supposed to be a Huntress-in-training?"

"Yeah, well, I didn't think that I'd be attacked at an assembly with this many future Hunters surrounding me." I brush my hands over my uniform, straightening the already immaculate blazer.

"Doesn't Port always say, 'Stay vigilant,' or something like that? Always keep your senses open. You, of all people, should keep that in mind." She shrugs at the last comment.

I sigh heavily. "I know. Sometimes, I just, I don't know, zone out. I can't help it." I look away from her questioning eyes.

She lays her hand on my shoulder softly. "Yeah. I've noticed. Where do you go when you're out of it?"

"I just think. About anything, everything. Memories, observations, feelings. Mostly, observations, thoungh. I have a tendency to over-analyze things." I shake my head and breathe deeply. "Now, we have to go select a Mistralian mission before they're all gone." I shrug off her hand and move toward one of the screens on each side of the room.

A list of missions pops up after I activate the screen. I scroll down, perusing the locations of each mission. Finally, my hand stops at a mission labelled 'Search and Destroy,' which detailed that a nest of Grimm has shown up at the borders of Mistral. I read through the details as I wait for Jack to get here to authorize us for the mission. I am halfway through the reports when I feel a surge in Aura coming from my right. I look over and find Jack coming out of a pocket of shadows now dressed his uniform.

I step aside to let him read the mission. He looks over at me with his eyebrow raised in a 'this is the one you want' kind of way. I nod, and he puts in our team name. the system accepts our information and gives us a departure date, which, rather surprisingly, coincides with the date in the journal.

I sigh as the information transfers to our scrolls. We, now, have two weeks to prepare for our mission and an investigation that may or may not be out of our league. "We're stuck with this, now, guys. We have two weeks to study and gather information from as many sources as we can." I turn toward my teammates and become serious. "I'm going to go to an underground information broker that I know to get a bit more information on the White Fang. What about you guys?"

Azura puts her finger to her chin and gives a thoughtful look. "I can probably get a couple of my brothers from Sanctum to gather some information in Mistral for me. They have a few interesting connections within the White Fang, as well."

"Well, that's certainly helpful. How did they get those connections, anyway?" I raise my eyebrow questioningly.

Azura looks away for a brief moment. "My brother, Skye, had a relationship with a Faunus that eventually joined the lower ranks of the White Fang. That was about two years ago, I think. Now, though, she's only about five steps down from the leader. She does all of the fiscal ventures that the White Fang do legally. She's an amazing girl, let me tell you." Her voice trails a bit at the end.

"And they still talk? Wow." I shake my head to make myself get back on track. "What about you, fearless leader?"

Jack's facial features never waver. "I will do some recon on local White Fang dens. As the only Faunus in the group, I believe that I am the only one capable of this. I will be as discreet as possible."

I nod at him. "I wouldn't have thought of that. But be careful. As our leader and friend, we cannot risk losing you." I turn to Zamin, who has been standing behind Azura in a military rest stance. "What about you, mister earthquake? What will you be doing?"

He stands there, rigidly. "I believe that I will accompany you on your mission to the underground. A schnee should not be left alone in a den of criminals that are likely to kill her." He smiles warmly, belying his usual militaristic attitude.

I smile back. "Thanks, I think. I mean, it's appreciated." Azura's face twist a bit with an unknown emotion. I look at her curiously, and her face went blank as soon as her eyes met mine. I shrug off her unusual behavior and look to each of my teammates separately. Determination and concern riddled their expressions. I nod once. "We can start Friday, if you want. We'll need to work fast. Two weeks is not a lot of time, and we need as much insight as possible for a successful mission."

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 **A/N: *sigh* This was one of the weirdest chapters ever. If you didn't catch, there was a look of familiarity between the two Faunus in this chapter... Can you guess why? And no, I wasn't asking you Jack, cause I already know you know. You made his backstory! So, if anyone other than Jack Hunter can guess, I'll give you a shoutout Tuesday when I post chapter 11. So, follow, favorite, review!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: The Underground, Espionage, and a Brother

Friday Evening: A Club in Downtown Commercial District

"Are you sure this is the place you need to be?" Zamin said from behind me.

"Of course. Hei is an old family contact. He and his family have been providing valuable information to the Schnees, and anyone who pays them, for years. They have a fairly reliable network of spies running through almost every corner of Remnant, from the underground to the nobility." I never take my eyes off of the building in front of me as we walk. I keep my head high and walk as I was taught, with authority.

We enter the club, the blaring music seeming to suffocate me. The overwhelming aroma of alcohol and perfume squash my sense of smell almost immediately. I keep my poise and walk to the counter. "Junior."

The man looks up and acknowledges me. "What can I get you, girly?"

My face twists in disgust. "Information, if you please. On Torchwick, the White Fang, and Schnees. Particularly, how do they all connect?"

His face blanks from his usually clientele-friendly smile. "Can you pay for it?"

My eyebrow lifts in challenge. "Of course."

He looks at me in disbelief. "Five hundred thousand Lien? You?" He lets out a short laugh.

"I said, of course. Do you know who you're talking to, Hei?" I cross my arms over my chest and lift my chin a little into the air. "I really don't think you want to question my wealth."

I feel Zamin's Aura flare. Junior shrinks back just a hair, barely losing his outward arrogance. "If you can pay, hand me your scroll. I'll go ahead and program the information into your external storage."

I hand him my scroll. He presses a few buttons, then brings out his own scroll, passing it over my own. "Now, payment will take place immediately." I pull out five Lien cards marked as one hundred Lien apiece. "Let me check your information and sources before I leave." I grab my scroll from him and begin to sort through the various folders of data he had collected. There was even a theories and correlations folder. There was a statistics folder that had detailed equations and separate folders for each of the things I need. "It seems to be all here."

As I was about to hand him the cards, his men began to surround us. Adrenaline hit me like nothing else, preparing me for combat. I turn toward Zamin, who has faced the other way so that we are back to back. I face Junior with a scowl. "I thought you were better than this."

He shrugs. "Your scroll flagged my system. So, I messaged my men to keep you here. You see," He circles around the counter. "someone is willing to pay a lot of money for you. I couldn't just let you go." He gives an evil grin as he pulls something from behind the counter. He holds up a bazooka and points it at me. "Surrender or die. There were no specifications as to how I should bring you in. Think hard. Do you wanna do this the easy way or the hard way?" His finger flexes at the trigger.

I pull Blaze from my hip. "I'm more than willing to put up a fight." I assess my surroundings. The goons were all crowded in a semicircle around Zamin and me. I readied Blaze, clicking a chamber in place, and thrust the tip into the ground. In front of me, the circle dissipated, creating a hole that I quickly ran out of. The men were drawn to me, leaving Zamin open to take them out from behind. Tiny earthquakes shook the club as Zamin fought with his usual straightforwardness.

As Zamin was plowing through his goons, I began to incapacitate the ones around me. Slowly, their numbers dropped until there were none left. I turned to Junior, breathing heavily. "What now, Hei? Your goons are down for the count."

Junior snapped his finger, and two figures step out of the shadows. My jaw drops. "Melanie? Miltiades? Why are you here?"

The girl in white turns to her twin in red then back to me. "Raven? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for information. Hei, there, decided that he would attack me just as soon as I was about to pay out." I motion toward Junior, who is looking at us incredulously. "Was he about to sick you chicas on us?"

Miltia looks at Junior angrily. "He was. But we're not. We still owe you, remember?" Melanie nods.

"Of course, how could I forget?" I knock my palm against the side of my head lightly. "So, will you help us escape? I'll even set you up with anything you want, girls. Whatta ya say?"

Miltia and Melanie exchange a silent conversation. Miltia looks back at me. "Can you get us into Beacon?"

"I can certainly try. How about, until then, I set you up in a nice place on the upperside of the Residential District with a nice payout for necessities?" I smile to myself. These girls were great friends of mine, growing up. They hadn't been upperclass or anything, but they're good people. They're the daughters of my combat instructor. I've known them for five years now. The least I can do is get them on the right track again.

Miltia, again, speaks up. "That'll do it." They both turn to Junior and take up an offensive stance. Their style is so much like a dance, each taking turns and playing the other's moves out in perfect tandem. Miltia would run in to strike with her blades, while Melanie took Junior down with one final kick with her bladed heels. With all of the goons and Junior unconscious, we left the club with the information Junior had foolishly sent to me.

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Meanwhile: Jack

I drifted out of the shadows effortlessly. My cloak clung to the vestige of the darkness I had come from. My ears erect, I follow the sounds of constantly shuffling feet. I came upon the traditional claw marks of the White Fang that signify a meeting. Flashes of the past skitter across my mind as I think of Adam and Blake and the White Fang. I shake my head and resume my stoic posture once more.

I pull out an old mask from a pocket of shadows. I don the mask with reluctance. I had left behind that world, but now, I must go back to save people. I sigh lowly, almost growling. 'I must do this. If not for me, then for my teammates and the innocents.'

I walk slowly toward the entrance. The man standing there takes one look at me and backs away in fear, bowing slightly. My mask signifies what I had been when I was here. As a friend of Adam's and his protégé, I was afforded respect and recognition. My betrayal was not public knowledge. Adam's signature marks still made men cower in fear or bow in respect, or both.

I pass the man with a sneer on my face. I follow the masses to a stage, where a woman in a red dress with yellow highlights stood. Her amber eyes remind me of Blake's but for the absolute fury and glacial chill they held. She shows no outward sign of being a Faunus, yet the others listen as she holds out her hand for silence.

"I am here to announce the beginning of a revolution." Her evil grin widens. "In less than two weeks, there will be an attack on a dust mine in Mistral. The thousands of Faunus SLAVES will be freed." She emphasised slaves rather overdramatically. "Prepare for the start of war. Prepare for the beginning of equality and superiority. Prepare for a new life!" The crowd cheers as her eyes glow with an angry mirth. I roll my eyes casually, slinking back into the darkness.'Today was completely uneventful. I have the information I am supposed to collect, I might as well just leave.'

As I back away, I bump into someone. I turn to apologize and see red hair with horns jutting past the spiky tips. I revert back to my stoic pose and expression. The figure stands to reveal none other than Adam Taurus. "Hello, Adam. It has been a while, don't you think?"

Adam has the same calm exterior, but his eyes, under his mask, tell a story of violence and fury unlike any other. "It has, my pupil. What are you doing here, Jack?"

"I can't check on my brethren?" I remain calm, but tense my muscles, expecting an attack no matter the audience behind me, who remain blissfully unaware of our internal conflict.

Adam clenches his teeth together. "They are no longer your brethren. You abandoned them. You abandoned the White Fang. You abandoned me." Slowly, I see his hand slip toward his weapon. I react on instinct, growling softly, and lunge. My swords are unsheathed instantaneously. I swipe at Adam, but he responds by blocking me with his sheathed weapon. I phase into the shadows and come behind him. I arc my swords, throwing my body into the strike, trying to unbalance him. My blades hit his weapon again, leaving Adam completely unscathed. The lights flicker, aiding my Aura output. I slither into the shadows as the last flicker begins to fade. I appear to Adam's left and strike at his knees. He pulls his red blade out quickly, deflects the blow, and, then, sheathes his blade in one smooth motion.

A gasp sounds to my right. The crowd has finally noticed the conflict going on behind their backs. Many of them pull weapons out to help Adam. 'I can't withstand this many without my team. I'll be overwhelmed.' My instincts try to put my logical mind aside. The wolf in me growls at the impending threat, begging to be released viciously. I feel the wolf beating at my mind, demanding its freedom. I growl deeply, warning those around me to back up. Some backed away slowly, realizing the threat before them. Others were stupid, charging me with weapons raised.

I unleashed my inner beast. My wolf lunged with a blinding fury. It perceived the threat, analyzed its opponents, and deemed them unworthy of a proper battle. The crowd was easily dispatched. The stragglers that I'm unable to hit turn and run from me. Even with my predatory side unleashed, I hold back enough to decrease the damage dealt so as not to kill anyone.

A tingling sensation goes up my neck, triggering an immediate about face. Adam starts to come in for the kill, quickly unsheathing his blade. I raise my blade parallel to each other, blocking his oncoming attack. The slits in his mask don't hide his eyes this close up. The anger and hatred pouring off of Adam is lethal. I sense his inner turmoil boiling to the surface, ignited by my appearance.

Suddenly, the lights flicker again, then go off all together. With my inner wolf already surfaced, my eyes adjust instantly. I can smell the confusion in the air. I take this opportunity to kick Adam in the stomach, sending him flying to the opposite side of the room. My escape is unhindered as I blend with the pitch darkness engulfing the room. The next thing I know, my thoughts bring me to just in front of Beacon.

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Team JARZ Dorm, at the same time: Azura

'I have the easiest job.' I drop my head onto the solitary desk beside the closet. 'Why did I want the easiest job, again? It seems so boring, now.'

I pick my head off the desk and hold my scroll up. I dial Sky and wait for his face to appear on the screen. "Hey, Sky. How's it?"

He shakes his head to move his bangs out of his face. "You know, sis. Just hanging and stuff, school, the usual. Why'd ya call?"

I put on a hurt expression as I clutch my shirt right over my heart. "I can't just call my brother to see how he's doing?"

He raises an eyebrow in disbelief. "Yeah, cause you do that all the time, huh, sis?" His tone oozes sarcasm. "What did you really call me for?"

"Okay, okay. Ya got me. I need some information. On the White Fang." I hesitate a bit on the last part.

His eyebrow quirks up in confusion. "The White Fang? What about it?"

"That's none of your business. I just need some information regarding something planned in Mistral in less than two weeks. I need anything you can get me."

"And how do you propose I go about getting this information? It's not like I'm a Faunus and can infiltrate the base or whatever."

I look at his with a determination in my eyes. "Call up your ex. I know she's in the White Fang. And I know she's really high up in the chain. Call her up and see if she's willing to part with some information."

He rubs the back of his head. "Cori is a bit ticked at me after I refused to help her with her last mission. She was so secretive and junk, I just didn't want to get dragged into a dangerous situation without all the facts up front. But, I'll see what I can do. If that's it, I'll call you back with whatever I find out from Corinthe. Bye." The screen goes black.

My head drops down on the desk again. "Now what am I gonna do?" Slowly, my eyes begin to shut, and, before I know it, I'm asleep.

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Ravena

Zamin and I fled the club and made our way back to Beacon. When we got back to the dorm, Azura was fast asleep at the desk, clutching her scroll loosely. I look over at Zamin questioningly. "So, you wanna move her to her bed for me, Zamin? That doesn't exactly look comfortable."

He looks between us a few times. "Just this once. You owe me for this." I nod noncommittally.

I take off my cloak, weapon, belts, and shoes and just lay down on my bed. "Thanks." Soon enough, my eyes close of their own accord. My last thoughts were, 'Where's Jack.' and 'We'll discuss the information tomorrow.'

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 **A/N: Well, that perspective change, tho. Actiony! So, um, I've decided to have this story in segments. They'll all follow the same plot and have the same character, maybe some new ones, maybe some old one, but there will be a sequel after chapter 15! Yes, I said sequel! Aren't you excited? I am! So, follow, favorite, and review! Yay!**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: A Couple of Discussions

The first thing I notice when I wake up is that I'm not in my usual sleepwear. I rub my eyes and turn my neck to each side, resulting in a disgusting yet relieving crack. I look around the room and smile. 'Yesterday was hectic. I can't believe Junior! I'm calling my grandmother at the first opportunity to tell her about this!' My smile disappears suddenly. 'The twins seemed rather ill placed in society. I mean, the Underground, of all things! I'm actually happy that I found them. I need to talk to Ozpin for them.'

Beside me, Azura stirs. She makes some really cute noises, not unlike a puppy, as she awakens. On my other side, Jack is still, but for his ears. They twitch back and forth, seeking sound even in his sleep. Zamin is, of course, underneath his mountain of pillows. Small, almost imperceivable, quakes rock the room. I've gotten so used to them that they seems to act as a lullaby, easing me back into a sleep that I don't want to succumb to. I rub my eyes again and throw my legs over the bed to stand.

I forego my usual morning routine. I just redo my hair and brush my teeth, don my discarded clothing from last night and walk out of the room in search of Ozpin to fulfil my promise. Walking down the corridor, I begin to think about how to approach Ozpin. I turn a corner and hit something, or someone.

I look up to see Professor Ozpin just standing there, looking down at me and sipping his coffee. I jump up and brush off my clothes. "You're just the person I needed to see, sir!"

He moves the mug from his lips and quirks an eyebrow. "Really? Well, if you'll come this way, we can talk in my office."

He turns around and starts to head in the direction I was going. We walk down the corridor in relative silence, the only exception being the slight click of my heels and him sipping from his mug. Soon, we're standing in front of an elevator. He ushers me in, then pushes the button for his office. Again, the small space is engulfed in almost complete silence, forcing me to think on what I'm going to say. The more I think, the more nervous I become. If I could, I would have already backed away from Ozpin and rescheduled this impromptu meeting.

The elevator stops, the doors opening to an enormous office with a multitude of gears and stuff everywhere. On the far side of the room is a desk facing opposite of the window. Ozpin slowly walks over to his desk and sits down. He, then, motions for me to take a seat in the chair in front of his desk. When I sit down, my breath catches as I see the view out the window. The horizon view is spectacular. You can see the airships come and go, and Vale looks so tiny from up here.

Ozpin clears his throat, bringing me back to reality. "Yes, well. You had something to discuss with me?"

I nod my head slightly. "Yes. Um, I have these friends that have had it really bad for the past couple of years. I was wondering if you could accept them into Beacon this semester."

He clasps his hands together. "And, pray tell, who are these friends of yours?"

"Miltiades and Melanie Malachite, sir. They are childhood friends of mine. They're mother was my first combat instructor." I smile as a small memory passes through my mind.

"I see. Well, do they have any formal training? Why do they want to come to Beacon, and why haven't they applied for themselves?"

"Their mother was an amazing instructor. She taught them much of what they needed, the rest has come from experience. They are superb fighters, sir. They want to come to Beacon to get away from some things that have been plaguing them, and they never really had the money to apply before. But I assured them that I would take care of their expenses if you deem them fit to entire the academy."

He looks me up and down. "That is incredibly generous of you. I didn't think a Schnee would be capable of such benevolence."

I look at him sharply, shock and surprise engulfing my expression. "How did you know? No, wait, that's a stupid question. Of course, you know. You're Ozpin!" I shake my head in dismissal of that train of thought. "And, I'll have you know, I'm not your typical Schnee! I wasn't raised by that tyrannical man of a CEO! He ruined my cousins! The only one I have any hope for is Weiss, and that's only because of Ruby's influence."

He looked at me with wide eyes. "Well, you certainly have your mind made up. I'll see what I can do for your friends." He reaches into his desk and pulls out a small stack of papers. "Here's the applications that they'll need to fill out. Have them back to me by the end of the week." He motions with his hand for me to stand and leave.

As the elevator doors open, and I slide in, I turn to him. "Oh, and I'm pretty sure Weiss and Ruby are dating." The doors close too fast for me to see his expression. 'Dang! A great reactionary sentence wasted!'

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Lunch time in Cafeteria: Ravena

I sit down beside Azura. "Alright, guys. What ya got for me?" I look at my teammates expectantly.

Azura pushes food around on her plate. "Well, my brother is trying to contact his ex in the," she looks around us and drops her voice to a whisper. "White Fang." Her voice returns to normal volume. "He'll get back to me within the week. I'm sure of it. I gave him our deadline."

I pat her shoulder affectionately. "Good. What about you, Jack?"

He shrugs. "I confirmed our mission. A dust mine will be raided and the Faunus laborers freed. The woman at the meeting said that a revolution is about to start. We must stop the revolution, but we must also save the entrapped laborers. We must be prepared for battle, because there will be one. Adam was there. Adam will be the commanding authority over the novitiates of their mission." He growled low and menacingly. "I will rid this world of his evil. He is mine."

His growl gives me goosebumps. I rub my arms as I stare off into the distance. "Alright, Jack. He's yours. Your alpha tendencies, though, give me chills. Knock it off." I sigh. "Alright, well, I have a cache of information that Junior put on my scroll before I had to teach him a lesson. I sent it to you all. The summation is that They plan to invade a dust mine on Mistral's border. They want to start a war and need as many followers as possible and hope to gain these followers from freeing as many slaves as possible. The SDC have been catching Faunus on the streets and collaring them to work in the mines. We need to stop the White Fang while simultaneously freeing the enslaved Faunus. We need to make sure that the White Fang can't corrupt them." I set my face determinedly.

Azura rubs my back in a circular motion. "I get where you're coming from and all, but we should work on one thing at a time. There's not much we can do right now. Let's just plan as much as we can and try to focus on our search and destroy mission first. Then, we can start to unravel the Mistral catastrophe that the White Fang is cooking up. 'K?" She looks at each of us hopefully before we all give our affirmation.

Slowly, my goosebumps go away. I nod at Azura appreciatively as a small knot of butterflies flutter in my stomach. 'That's new. What caused that?' I inhaled slowly, forcing the fluttering to stop. "Hey. Before I forget, I have something for you guys." I reach into my belt pouch and pull out three seemingly identical cards. "These are for you. I set up an account for each of you." I give them the cards that correspond with each of their colors and emblems. "There's five hundred thousand Lien in each of your accounts. These are for you to spend how you see fit. Each of the accounts are tied to my personal account so that they never run dry. I trust you guys not to go overboard. Got it?"

They each give me a disbelieving look. Finally, Jack speaks up. "I can't accept this. It's too much." He tries to shove the card back into my hand. I deflect his hand and stand up quickly.

"You will accept my generosity. You don't have to use it at all, but you will accept it." I cross my arms and practically growl in authority. "Those cards are for you. You are my team, my new family. I know I haven't known you guys for long, but you've come to mean a lot to me. This is a show of faith on my part." My hand goes to my chest, pressing my palm over my heart, as I smile at them.

Jack seems reluctant, but eventually puts the card in a shadow pocket he conjures. "Alright. I'll take it. It's just, the last time someone gave me something that I thought was 'free,' I had to pay them back in the most heinous of way. I had to become a killer, and I didn't like that. Don't betray my trust, Ravena."

I nod, my facial expression softening to an emotion between pity and affection. 'These guys really are my family. I don't think I could lose them now.'

Azura just gives me a curious look before tucking the card away. "I'll take it, but only for you."

"Thanks, Raven. This might come in handy for missions." Zamin flashes me a rare smile. The smile on his face looks so out of place, it's almost creepy.

"Alright, guys. Tonight is team night. What should we do?" Jack speaks up after clearing his throat after that awkwardly emotional moment he caused.

"I think a movie in the room sounds nice. Something calm, cool, and bond-worthy!" Azura makes a semicircular rainbow-like motion with her hands above her head.

I chuckle a bit at her spontaneous reaction. "Sure. That sounds lovely." I smile at my team, my family.

Zamin stands up and gathers all of our trays, taking them away. When he comes back, he pumps his fist into the air. "Yeah! Let the bonding begin."

'It seems his true personality is finally coming out.' I smile as I nod and follow Zamin and Jack out, with Azura on my heels.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **A/N: I finally developed a personality for Zamin! Yay! Follow, favorite, review, guys! Please. If you get to the end of the chapter, leave a review. Please.**


	13. Chapter 13

**I am so so sorry for not updating yesterday. I really am. Forgive me? So,I feel like this is one of my longest chapters ever. :) I'm happy. This chapter is my lucky number! Introducing... Chapter 13!**

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Chapter 13: Family Ties and Haunting Pasts

The Night Before the Mission: Azura

'We're all just so anxious and nervous. I'm so on edge, I can't even fall asleep. The mission is tomorrow. I'm so excited, yet so fearful too. My brother called two days ago and said that everything that Cori had to tell us had to be told in person. We, apparently, have to meet her at midnight tomorrow at some seemingly abandoned warehouse.' I fall backwards on my bed, mindful of my small backpack. Sighing, I look up at the rest of my teammates. "Are you guys as much of a wreck as I am?"

Ravena looks up from packing her tiny satchel. "I'd be surprised if I wasn't. This is our first actual mission, after all." She smiles widely, barely containing her addictive enthusiasm.

Jack shrugs. "This is far from different from the missions I've taken in the past. The only main difference is the targets."

Zamin has definitely let himself unwind this past week and a half. He's way more open and vocal. He kind of reminds me of Yang but without the horrible puns. "This is gonna be great! Slicing, smashing, killing, the whole nine yards!" He pumps his fist in the air then flexes his arms.

We all laugh, effectively dissolving the nerves that were smothering my excitement. "Yeah. Those Grimm are totally going down." I slip my arms behind my head. "Do you think we'll be able to make the time to meet Corinthe? She seemed prepared to help us."

Jack opens a shadow pocket beside him. "You guys need to put your stuff in here. We're not allowed to have our own gear yet. The Hunter we're shadowing says that he'll provide all of our necessities. But we still need all of this stuff for our investigation." We all stand and throw our stuff into the pitch black vortex just before it closes. "There's a checklist that we need to read before tomorrow, as well. Don't worry, it's only five points. One: Defer to your assigned Hunter in all things. Two: Do not do anything that will risk the lives of your teammates outside of the usual parameters. Three: Never wander off from the group alone. Four: Be aware of your surrounding, do not enter a situation without first scouting ahead. And, finally, five: Do not leave your Hunter for any reason. They are there to help, not hinder. That last one is going to be a problem, but hopefully, we won't get caught. Any questions?"

We all shake our heads. Then, I look up at Jack. "How are we going to get past a trained Hunter to even get our information?"

"Luck? I don't really know. We'll have to wing it or bring him into the loop." Jack shakes his head. "Let's hope that Fortuna is on our side."

"I'm sure we'll do fine, Jack. Now, go to sleep. We have a big day ahead of us." I turn around and close my eyes, drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Next Day: Ravena

"Well, guys, it's time. Let's go." The early morning was hectic as a couple of teams race from one place to another, either getting ready for their mission or getting back from a mission. Friends were seeing friends off and welcoming them home. As we enter the airship field, my nerves kick in. Anxiety almost overwhelms me.

Azura places a calming hand on my shoulder. My anxiety rushes out of me, replaced by something else. Relief is the first thing that comes to mind, but why do I feel relief? A tingling, almost numbing, sensation fills the cavity that surrounds my heart. I look at Azura and smile. 'What's happening to me?' I nod my head slightly and she takes her hand off my shoulder.

She smiles back, hesitantly. "You okay, Rae?"

"Yeah. Just nerves." My excitement kicks in, though, as I think of a question that has yet to be answered. "I wonder who our Hunter will be."

We stopped at our designated area. The airship in front of is small, compared to the ones that commute students back and forth from Vale. Suddenly, the bay door descends, revealing our Hunter. My jaw drops. The white haired woman in snow white combat gear with a little red peeking from the collar stepped onto the field. "A Schnee?" I whisper it so softly that I thought no one could hear me, but Jack turns his head sharply to look at me. 'Oops.'

The woman walks confidently up to us. "Hello. My name is Winter Schnee, and I will be your assigned Huntress for this trip. We are going to the Mistralian border to investigate and eliminate a den of Grimm that has been plaguing the towns around it." She looks at each of us individually. "I see you did not pack anything. Good. You will be provided all rations for this trip." She nods before turning around and motions us to follow her with a slight flick of her wrist.

I look at Jack with confusion. He shrugs nonchalantly. "I guess she's a Huntress, Ravena. Let's go."

We all follow behind Jack in a loose diamond formation. Winter stood to the side inside the airship, waiting for us to enter. As soon as we are all in, she closes the door with the push of a button. "You must have questions, by the look on your faces." She raises her left eyebrow at us. "I would, if I were you." She proceeds to sit opposite of us.

I clear my throat by coughing into my hand. "Yes, well. Why are you in Vale, Miss Scnhee?"

She puts her hand over her mouth and fails to stifle a chuckle. "Please, call me Winter." She waves her hand in the air dismissively. "I'm in Vale because poor Ozzie asked me to be your team's assigned Huntress. Don't ask me for his motives. I don't think anyone but Ozpin even knows what goes on in his head, except maybe Glynda sometimes." She looks into space, seemingly lost in thought. "Anyway, let's just put it down to 'I'm awesome,' and go from there." She flashes an arrogant smile.

I start to speak again, but Azura beats me to it. "Alright, Miss Awesome," she lifts her hands to do finger quotations in the air, "I totally believe you. It sounds like something Ozpin could cook up."

I look at her quizzically. She gives me a small wink, barely there. "Oh, right. Just like Ozpin." I sit back, trying to think what that wink could even mean. 'Does she know something I don't?' I mentally facepalm. 'Of course, she does. I just have to figure out what.'

My internal conversation is interrupted by a cough and a curious look from Winter. I tilt my head in confusion before I realized that I had facepalmed outside of my imagination, if the slight throbbing of my forehead is anything to go by. "Uh, sorry. I was just thinking." I blush in embarrassment. Winter only smiles and shakes her head in amusement before getting up and moving toward the front of the airship.

I turn toward Jack, who has his eyes closed, resembling sleep, but is only feigning relaxation. His ears are still, giving away his consciousness of his surroundings. I lean in to whisper, "You're not fooling me, Jackey-boy. But, you do you, 'k?" His lips turn upward at the corners ever so slightly before his stoic expression is again in place. I chuckle lightly under my breath.

Zamin is conked out. How he does that so suddenly, I'll never know. His light snores and the slight vibrations of his subconsciously unleashed Aura are incredibly soothing, considering we've only been living in the same dorm for a couple of months.

I look over to Azura, who was silently getting out of her seat, making her way over to the seat on my free side. "Hey," she whispers ever so slightly, trying not to wake the boys. "Are you okay with Winter being our Huntress?"

I sigh deeply, shrugging. "It's fine. I don't think she's in cahoots with her father. She's not the heiress for a reason, chica. She had to have done something to tick him off, otherwise she wouldn't be here."

"You're right."

I jump almost a foot into the air, landing on Azura's lap with my arms around her neck. "Don't do that! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Winter, who had somehow snuck in right beside Azura to eavesdrop, bust out laughing, somehow keeping it a whisper. "That was priceless. How in the heck did I even sneak up on you? I was practically right there!" She points just a couple of feet in front of her.

"Uh, um, Rae? Could you please get off of me?" I look down to come nose to nose with Azura. Her face is on fire and so is mine. I quickly detach my arms from around her and jump back into my seat.

I fidget with my cloak a bit. "Sorry." I bite my lip, trying to fight the blush that has overtaken my face. Eventually, it subsides, so I look up to see Winter staring at us with a bemused expression.

"You guys are so cute!" She does some weird teenage girl motion thing with her fists near her face. 'I've only ever seen that happen in animes.' Winter schools her face into a stony expression. "In all seriousness, though, I shouldn't have been able to sneak up on you like that."

I look at her, flabbergasted. "What?"

"Well, I did sneak up on you and even eavesdropped on your so-called private conversation. You guys are Huntresses-in-training. You should be more aware of your surroundings."

I sigh rather loudly. "I know, I know. But can we get back to what you just interrupted?" I cross my ankles and place my connected hands into my lap. "What did you do to tick off Papa Schnee, chica?"

Winter smiles at me. That smile is a bit too maniacal for me, and I pull away as far as I can. "Ah. Well, you see, I fell in love." She looks off into the distance with a sad smile on her face.

Azura looks at her. "What happened?" The concern in her voice evident.

Winter sighs wistfully, with a hint of sadness underneath it all. "I fell in love, girls. Papa didn't want that, didn't want him in my life. The boy wasn't nobility, wasn't from a wealthy family. He wanted me to get rid of the only boy I've ever loved. Of course, Papa gave me an ultimatum." Winter puts her head in her hands. "He was so cruel. Christopher's life or the company. Of course, I chose my Chris. I couldn't do anything but!" She picks her head up a bit to show the tears running down her face. I move over to her other side to offer her what comfort I can by rubbing her back. "And, just like the vindictive maniac he is, he killed Chris anyway. So, I ran and trained to become a Huntress. Life is well, and the only thing I regret is leaving my baby sister. I have no idea what that man made her go through after I left. But, you know, the saying does go 'It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.' I truly believe that." She wipes her tears away carefully, somehow avoiding ruining her makeup. She gives a soft smile, thanking us for the chance to talk.

I look into Winter's eyes. "Weiss is doing very well for herself. She's got a great team and partner. She's slowly breaking out of her cold shell. It's miraculous, to say the least."

"How do you even know this?" Winter stared at me, puzzled.

"I know because I'm watching her. I don't want her to become like your father. The company needs a compassionate leader, someone who cares and wants to fix all that our family has ruined." My determined look fades as I realize what I just revealed.

"'Our family?' What?" She becomes even more confused.

I rub the back of my head self consciously. "Um. Yeah. You see, um. I, uh."

I stumble over my words when Azura just puts a hand up to silence my nervous mumbles. "She's your cousin." She gives me a look that says 'how hard was that?'

I laugh nervously as I put my hands in my lap. I twist my fingers together, anticipating the worst. "Yeah. I'm your cousin. Slightly distant, but still a cousin."

A small exhale comes from Winter. "Are you, are you sure?"

I nod, closing my eyes tightly. "Of course. I was a Schnee up until I joined Beacon. I just, ya know, wanted to be myself. Not a Schnee."

I look up to see her nodding thoughtfully. "I understand." She smiles sweetly, then frowns suddenly. She leans in closer, whispering. "Did you guys realize that your leader has been eavesdropping on this entire conversation?"

I look over at Jack and point at him with my thumb. "Him?" I make a dismissive gesture. "Of course. He's always alert, that guy. Isn't that right, Jack?"

The corners of Jack's mouth lift ever so slightly. His ears twitch a bit before he sits up. "Force of habit. Sorry."

I smirk. "I knew you were awake, Jackey-boy. Didn't I kinda tell you?"

Jack stretches his arms out in front of him. "Yes, you did. Which is surprising, to say the least. I am curious, though. How did you know?"

A sly smile spreads across my face. "Your ears. It's always the ears. You force them to still when you pretend to sleep. Cause, when you're really asleep, they move everywhere."

"Dang. I'm found out." Jack's monotone oozes with the sarcasm I know he's truly capable of.

Winter scoffs. "I just poured my heart out to not just you guys, but him," She sneers a bit. "as well. Oh gods. Why me? I'm supposed to be this untouchable goddess-like figure that the kids adulate. Now, I've probably lost all your respect." She feigns hurt, pressing the back of her hand to her forehead.

"Don't be so dramatic. I don't think any less of you. In fact, I'm actually kinda proud to call you my cousin, now. You defied your father. Now, all we have to do is wait out Weiss' transformation. Really, I don't think that it'll be all that long." I smile knowingly. I know something's up between Ruby and Weiss. I just haven't proven it yet.

Zamin's snores get slightly louder, before he sits up suddenly. "What? What happened? Are we there yet?"

We all laugh at him. Winter stands up slowly. "We should be about fifteen minutes away by now. We've been talking for what seems like forever." She walks over to the pilot and they just start talking, seeming to ignore us altogether.

Jack turns to us. "Do you want to let her in on our side mission?" He whispers incredibly soft that can barely make out the words.

I nod. "I trust her. Plus, I think she can help."

Azura nods as well, as Zamin sits there with a slight confused look on his face. Then, he shrugs. "I guess, if you guys want, it couldn't hurt."

Jack nods slightly. "Okay."

"Okay, what? What do you guys want to let me in on?" All but Jack jumps. I land, once again, in Azura's lap.

"Godsdamn it! Why do you keep doing that?" I yell at her.

"Cause it's just so fun to see you snuggle up with your little girlfriend, there." She points to Azura with her thumb.

My face turns bright red as I hurry to get off of her. "She's not my girlfriend!" 'I don't like her like that. Do I? Plus, she's a girl. I know there are gay couples and all that, but am I gay?' My mind flashes to all of our time together, the drawings, how I always want to see her smile, how I feel around her. 'Maybe? I don't know.' I shrug as my blush starts to wane.

"Of course. It was such an honest mistake." She laughs a little before growing serious again. "So, the lovebirds aside, what did you want to share with me, hmmm?"

I blush more and look over to Azura, who was looking away from me with a tint of blush on her cheeks as well. "Um, well, we have a lead on a White Fang revolution. And, um, we wanted your help." My last statement was more of a question than a statement. I sigh, writhing in a bit of nervousness that has me wringing my fingers in my lap.

Winter looks at each of us slowly. "I'll need your information so that I can turn it into the proper authorities."

I stand up quickly. "You can't do that!"

Winter looks at me with disbelief. "Of course, I can. You are first years, for fuck's sake. I can't let you take on something like this before you even go on your first solo mission." She shakes her head with disgust.

Jack stands up beside me, towering over Winter slightly. "This mission is ours. Ravena and I have personal vendettas to unleash on the White Fang. We are perfectly capable of this investigation. All we are asking is for more manpower. If we have to face the entirety of the White Fang on our own, we will surely die, but if we have a capable Huntress with us, we may stand a solid chance." He growls at the end of his statements.

"Winter looks up at Jack and narrows her eyes. "I understand revenge. You know I do. But I wouldn't risk my life for a bunch of radicals that think they can take over the world! You have to think of your families, your friends! How would they feel if you just died because of your reckless vendetta?"

I face her with indignation taking over my normally cheerful disposition. "I have only my grandparents. They aren't going to last much longer. Then, all I'll have is my team and the rest of the resentful Schnees that will probably take my inheritance. You and Weiss, maybe!" Tears start to cloud my vision. "I need to do this. I need to have a purpose. Please." My request is cut short with a sob. Azura takes me in her arms and begins to comfort me, stroking my hair and making small shushing noises.

Winter is startled by my crying. A look of regret passes over her face for a fraction of a second before a steely expression replaces it. "I don't know what to say."

Jack grunts. "I have no family. The closest thing to a family I had was the White Fang, and I left them. They are truly turning evil, but it's not the fault of every Faunus that joins them. I want to stop this revolution from doing reprehensible damage to how the Faunus are viewed. If they succeed, it could set equality back decades, maybe even centuries."

Zamin steps up behind Jack. "They need to be stopped, and if we," he sweeps his hand in a circular motion, indicating us all, "can do anything to help, whether our lives are in danger or not, I'm in." He nods his head once to emphasize his point.

Azura looks at Winter. "I have family. I know my family. My father, brothers, sisters, grandparents, are all warriors. They all either are, or want to be, Hunters. They will understand my sacrifice. They may mourn, but they will understand. I want to stop them. This world can't handle another war so soon. It'd destroy us." She returns her attention back to me.

I calm my breathing considerably and wipe the tears from my face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to break down like that," I whisper. I turn toward Winter and raise my voice slightly above a whisper. "Are you going to help us? We could use a proficient Huntress such as yourself to help with the whole fighting thing we're going to have to do eventually."

Her face softens a bit, and she sighs. "I'm not going to be able to deter you from your path of eventual destruction, am I?"

"Nope!" I plaster a smile on my face. 'We got her!'

"Fine. I'll help. What do you have on all of this?" She shakes her head and whispers rather loudly, "I can't believe I'm doing this."

I move away from Azura reluctantly. I hold out my scroll. "Here, this is everything. I recorded all of our stuff and saved them on paper for reference."

She takes the scroll and syncs all of the data to her own. "This is incredibly detailed. How did you come by this much information?"

"We have our ways. You don't need to know." I smile and shake my head. "I've always wanted to say that." I chuckle at my own silly lapse.

Azura pushes me lightly, making me stumble back and causing me to fall into my seat. "Ow!"

"Don't be a baby. You're fine."

"Enough, you guys. We're almost to our landing spot, so we should just get ready to go." Winter puts her scroll away and takes a deep breath. "On this mission, I will only intervene if your lives are in danger. You must find and destroy a nest in this area without my help. I will evaluate your progress and grade you on your ability to adapt to all situations presented to you. Now, the threat is minimal. Beowolves are the predominant force that you will have to face. Make no mistake, if it is at all possible, there will be more Grimm to show as soon as one Beowolf howls. If this happens, I will assist you. I will not allow you to be overwhelmed." She faces the bay door as a shift motion wracks the airship, signalling our descent. "Be ready and ever vigilant." Just before we land, she touches the button to open the door. "Go."

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 **A/N: Well, I'm happy with how the story is progressing. :) Anyhoodles, follow, favorite, review. I like it when you review. It makes me feel like someone is actually reading. :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Oh meh god! Fluff moment alert! Just a small, itty bitty warning for you. And, this is the second to last chapter in this story. The sequel will come out next Friday, so be looking for it. It will be called Unraveling a Revolution II until I find a better name. Suggestions would be welcome. Now, on to the next chapter! Lol**

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Chapter 14: Bonding Moments

Our team files out of the airship in our customary diamond formation with Winter following loosely behind us. My senses are on full alert. We walk away from the airship, then suddenly, it takes off. I look up as it leaves. A dread fills my senses, making the hair stand up on the back of my neck and giving me goosebumps. I shake my head and fall back into formation before we begin to scout the area.

Jack halts us by raising his hand. "We should send scouting groups. I think that the best bet for the ground would be Zamin and I because of our semblances and my enhanced senses." He gestures to Zamin and himself. "You girls can search the air while we search the ground. Use whatever strategy you must to conserve strength for battle. Contact us on our scrolls if you find anything." With that, Zamin and Jack faded into a shadow.

I shake my head. "I don't think I'll ever get used to that." I smile a bit and turn toward Azura. "So, onward and upward?"

She smiles back and lifts into the air. "Yeah. I'll meet you up here."

I throw up a glyph into the air, just above the treeline. I ready a glyph underneath me and spring into the air, just barely making it to my makeshift platform in the sky. I land precariously on the edge, almost losing my balance, but Azura pushes me further from the edge. "Thanks, chica."

She beams as she floats effortlessly. "No problem, Rae. I'll catch you anytime."

I laugh. "That was so cheesy."

"But true." She winked.

I blush a little and straighten my combat skirt. "Ah, yeah. Um, so, let's get scouting. We have a lot of ground to cover."

She begins to fly ahead, all the while laughing at my embarrassment. "Whatever, Rae."

I clear my throat and follow her. I look everywhere but directly at her. My mind races. 'I know that it's only been a couple of months, but I feel like I've known her forever. She could possibly be my best friend, but somehow more.' I blush and look away from her. I look down into the forest. The area, for now, is clear and needs no attention for the moment. 'The drawings were the first sign. I mean, I've had crushes before. There was this one guy that I had known forever, he had such beautiful eyes and his smile made my heart soar. But Azura makes me feel different. Azura makes me feel shy. I'm hardly ever shy! Her beautiful eyes have those brilliant golden flecks in them. Everytime I look her in the eyes, I feel like I could just get lost in them for hours, like her eyes were a wilderness and I was the lost adventurer, but I never want to leave.' I smile broadly and sigh.

Azura looks at me in confusion. "What's wrong?"

I blush, "Nothing." My voice trails off, becoming barely audible. 'I was totally almost caught! I'm just lucky I hadn't started mumbling my thoughts out loud.' I sigh again, but softer, so she couldn't hear. 'Her smile captivates me in a way that I thought would be impossible. Everytime I make her smile, I get this giddy feeling, like a high without drugs. Her laughter is like a song, so beautiful and mystifying that you can't help but stop and listen as it plays. And her lips. They enrapture me. I just want to know their taste, their softness. My imagination can't be good enough to describe them in real life.' I sigh in tranquil bliss as I detail her entire face in my mind. Unbeknownst to me, though, I have been staring at Azura with a peculiar expression on my face as I subconsciously throw glyphs to keep up with her.

Azura looks back at me again, right after I sigh. "Why… why are you staring, Rae?"

Still in a slight daze, I answer without thinking. "Because you're so damn beautiful." As soon as the words leave my mouth, I snap out of my trance and begin to panic.

"What?" Confusion mixes with a softer emotion I can't quite peg. Then, her expression softens even more as she flies toward me. Eventually, she's standing on my glyph, mere inches from me. "Did you just call me... beautiful?" Uncertainty laces her tone, almost bringing me to tears.

I take her hands into my own. "Yeah. You are, though. So godsdamn beautiful." I try to finish sorting out my feelings in seconds. 'I like her. I know I like her... a lot. How could I not? I feel safe with her, cared for, and I always seem to get butterflies in my stomach everytime she flashes her bewitching smile. I might even be in love with her. This is so strange. I've never had a crush on a girl before, but I know that the heart wants what it wants. I can't change it now.' I dare to lean forward, bringing us within centimeters of each other's faces. I search her eyes, looking for that slight bit of resistance and find none. I finish the descent, my lips meet hers and a spark ignites through my body. That small touch brings absolutely everything into perspective. I pull away after just seconds. A smile stretches across my face. "That was amazing," I whisper oh so lightly.

Azura giggles like a schoolgirl or something. I mean, we are schoolgirls, but I've never really heard anything quite like it before. It sounded like she was drunk, like when you get so giddy that you can't even think straight anymore. "Yeah, amazing." This time, she leans in. Our second kiss lasts far longer than our first. I wrap my arms around her neck to bring her closer as she wraps hers around my waist to do the same. I try to communicate all of how I feel in the span of a minute or so. As we draw away, my scroll rings.

I sigh. "Damn them and their horrible timing." I unhook my arms from around Azura to answer. "Yes?" I try so hard to keep the annoyance out of my voice.

"Whoa, what's got you so wound up?" Zamin's voice comes from the device. His image is nowhere to be seen.

I pinch the bridge of my nose in an outward display of my displeasure in our situation. "Where are you, and what news do you have for us?"

Zamin seems to take the hint that I'm in no mood for his games. "Well, We're just east of our starting position. WE were ambushed by an unknown amount of Grimm. They're surrounding us all sides. We need back up stat!" He stage whispers, where we hear him, but he's not too terribly loud.

"Copy. We're on the way." I hang up and pinpoint his coordinates with my scroll. I turn to Azura. "You get all that?"

She nods. "Yeah. I got it." She turns away from me. "So, um, what does, um… this, make us?"

I chuckle at the awkwardness of our current predicament. "What do you want us to be?"

She looks me in the eye now. "I would like for us to be together." She hesitates for a bit. "Do you?"

I give her a very uncharacteristically sweet smile. "I'd like nothing better." I hold out my hand, and she grabs it. Our fingers intertwine naturally, like they were destined to connect. "Now, come on. You can walk on my glyphs with me. Conserve your Aura for the fight ahead." And with that, we walk hand in hand to our teammates, all the while, that foreboding sense of doom terrorizing me from within my mind.

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Meanwhile, on the Ground: Jack

We fade out of the shadows slowly, surveying our surroundings carefully. I sniff the air hesitantly, making sure nothing is around us. A twig snaps behind me, but I recognize the gait of the walk as Zamin coming from his own examination of the area. I turn around to face him. "Our best bet will be to continue east. Do you know which way the girls went?"

He shrugs. "Maybe east? I don't really know."

"Alright, then. I think we should stay ahead of them so that we find the den first. Who knows what'll happen if they find it before us."

Zamin looks at me skeptically. "You sure are more talkative without the girls around." He gives me a weird crooked smile that kind of creeps me out.

"Well, I just don't want to accidentally expose them to some of my inner thoughts." I shrug.

Zamin turns around and begins to walk backwards, somehow avoiding the multiple trees in his path. "What do you mean, 'inner thoughts'?"

"I don't want to talk about it." I look away from him, hiding my anger and pain from one of my only friends. 'I'm getting so fucking mushy.'

"Come on, man. You can tell me. We're teammates and comrades in arms." He strikes a pleading pose with his arms extended toward me. "Confide in me your strife, oh friend of mine!"

I chuckle under my breath at his antics. My eyes narrow in sadness soon after. "Are you sure you want to know, Zamin? My past is filled my loss, pain, and blood. Will you plead with me to gain nightmares?"

He suddenly turns serious. "You shouldn't have to carry the burden of your sorrows by yourself. Sometimes, you have to let someone in."

I look at him skeptically. "What could you even do to help me if I do decide to confess?"

"I could help you cope. My parents taught me that all people are worth protecting and that I should care for all those in need if I am capable. You need help, and I am perfectly capable of providing it." He suddenly looks to the sky all dramatic and crap. "It is my moral code. It is my duty and privilege to help all those in need."

"If it'll get you to shut up, I'll tell you." I run my fingers through my hair, hoping I won't regret divulging my deepest secrets.

Zamin just sits, with his back to a tree. I give him a sideways glance before taking a seat across from him. "Well, you see, I'm an orphan. My parents were killed by some obsessive Faunus hating group called the Anti Faunus Organization. They openly hunt any Faunus in their areas of control." I steel my expression against any pain I'm feeling. "I was nine when it happened. My parents and I were taking our customary walks in the woods. We used to do it every Saturday. They came at us from all sides. My parents were adequate warriors, but they hadn't brought their weapons." The memory flashes before me.

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Memory: Jack

The men were everywhere. Me being only nine, I had no previous combat training. I only sparred a bit with my mom and dad when they wanted to play. The men were armed to the teeth, scaring me. They try throwing out nets to catch us. I hear some of them yelling about cutting our ears off for a trophy. I start to cry. My parents are holding off the ones directly in front of them. They're back to back, fighting in a way I had never seen from them before. Most of the AFO members go down, unconscious.

My mother turns to me and tells me to run. I'm scared, but I do as she tells me. I slip past the humans in front of me fairly easily. They're mainly focused on my parents, considering the fact that my mom and dad are giving the organization members a run for their money. I was able to get away safely, but my parents weren't so lucky. I can hear the screams in the distance, pull more tears from me. I cover my ears and wait it all out.

After hours of hiding in a tree and crying my eyes out, I make my way back to my parents. What I see haunts me to this day. Blood is everywhere, soaking into the ground and staining the grass red. What I see of my parents shock me. Their claws are torn out, leaving nothing but bloody nubs at the end of their fingers. Their slightly pointed fangs are missing. Where they once were is now just crimson holes that have hardened from the blood coating them. Worst of all, their ears are cut off. Their magnificent wolf ears, nothing but blunt lines with matted fur where the blood had seeped down to drench their hair. The stench overwhelms me and makes me nauseous. I throw up right there, falling to my knees to cry for what seems like forever.

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Present: Jack

I snap back to reality after Zamin pokes me in the shoulder. My stoic expression has given away to mournful tears. "They didn't make it. I ran away, but when I came back, they were dead. I decided to leave that town and just became a hobo or something. I wandered around for about a year before I was found by the White Fang. Being the impressionable youth that I was, I agreed to join." I give a sarcastic smile as I remember that day.

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Memory: Jack

It is a surprisingly sunny day out. I'm just basking in the light, trying to think of a way to get more food for the week. My usual strategy is theft, but I had been in this town too long. I'm ready to move on, I think.

Just as the sun reaches its highest point in the sky, I hear a rustling from my right. I turn sharply, my ears perking up at the slight noise. I stand carefully, assessing the threat. No smell comes to me on the wind, indicating that the people are downwind of me. Suddenly, a girl about my age and a boy a little older than both of us steps out of the brush.

I growl a warning. "Who are you?"

The boy surprises me by flashing me an assuring smile. "My name's Adam, brother. And this is Blake." Blake stands there, suspicious of me, I guess.

"I am no brother of yours." I growl low in my throat, letting my inner wolf start to come forward.

Adam looks at me with pity. "All Faunus are my brothers and sisters. You are no different. You are my brother."

I look at him skeptically. "What are you talking about? We're no more related to you than I am to humans."

Adam laughs. "I meant brothers in plight. We are kin of the soul, both wronged by humans. I seek peace. I seek equality. What do you seek, brother?"

I scoff at his notions. "I seek my next meal."

Adam looks me up and down, then smiles at me. "Well, come with us, brother. We have plenty of food."

I go with them but only for the food they promise. They take me to this warehouse in the Industrial District in Vale. Faunus are just walking around freely, no humans in sight. I gawk at the scene before me. All my life, the Faunus I have seen are low key citizens. They never did much to draw attention to them, especially with the AFO out to capture and kill any and all Faunus they can get away with. This openness is so new to me. We eat, and I let Adam convince me to stay. I join the White Fang in hope of peace.

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 **A/N: It finally happened! Yay! The Azura x Rae train has left the station. Hmm. Tell me, do you want more fluff in the sequels, cause I think it's gonna happen. Follow, favorite, review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**I just want to say. don't get mad at me. Do not get halfway through this chapter and throw your phone or cry over your computer or something. Don't curse me or whatever. It is not an unhappy ending. Please bear with the entire chapter. So, the non-upsetting upsetting Chapter 15, last of this current story, but will continue... in the next story I post. Look for the sequel!**

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Chapter 15: A Battle of Grimm Proportions

Present: Jack

"You see, Zamin. I was a White Fang member. It was good for about a year or two after I joined, but it all went down hill. The leader left or something. The Fang plunged into disorder until a new leader took the helm. No one knows who that leader is except the top of the top. The Fang became violent. I stuck with them in hope of everything returning to normal, but it doesn't." I shake my head. "I killed, Zamin. I killed innocents and guilty alike. I followed their orders and became a monster. I started to hate myself!" I stand in anger and rake my hands down my face, nearly clawing my skin. "I am a monster. I still feel a want to kill, a writhing entity below my surface that can never surface. I don't want to be like this, but my inner wolf has tasted blood and wants more!"

I breathe deeply, trying to reign in the beast I rarely unleash. The wolf is bang against the inside of my head, trying to take control. I calm my anger, finally pulling the beast back into his figurative bonds. "Ahhh." I scream my final frustrations, making Zamin stand and take a defensive position.

Zamin has his tonfas on, ready to defend himself against the bloodthirsty wolf he was just informed of. "You okay, Jack?"

I shake off the rest of my struggling thoughts before placing my usual stoic expression back on my face. "I'm fine. I won't unleash it unless I have to."

A loud crack permeates the air. I leap out of the way just as Beowolf crashes through the trees. I spin in a circle, analyzing the area instinctively. We're surrounded on all sides by Beowolves and Usai. I pull my weapons and ready for a fight.

Zamin sends tiny, controlled shockwaves into the ground, sending Grimm after Grimm into his waiting blades. His movements and style are a smooth contrast to his personality of late. He's careful and restrained with each swipe of his blades, unlike his recently revealed outspoken nature.

"Zamin, take cover for a few seconds to call the girls. We'll need back up. There's too many." I behead the Grimm in front of me, one after another. Zamin ran out of sight and out of my hearing range to make the call. I hold them off in the meantime.

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After the Call From Zamin: Azura

We run on the glyphs as fast as we can. I begin to hear the clanging of bone on steel and feel the Aura emissions from at least one person. "There they are!" I grab Ravena and dive off the glyph without warning. Ravena lets out a slight squeak before I set her down on a tree branch safely. "I'm going to leave you here. I don't want to put you on the ground before you're ready. Be safe." With that, I give her one last, quick kiss before flying away.

I concentrate my Aura into my weapon, activating the transformation mechanism. It turns into a bow without a string. I focus my Aura into my weapon, creating the string. With short burst of energy, makeshift arrows form, and I launch them at the Grimm. One by one, they fall. Because my arrows are made of my Aura, they pierce the tough hide of the monsters with ease, killing them with minimal effort. On average, it takes about three shots to take down a large Beowolf.

The numbers begin to dwindle, what with all four of us putting our best effort in. I afford a look below me. Ravena is dispatching some of the last Ursai when I saw a Beowolf try to sneak behind her. This is very unusual, considering most Grimm just attack head on, barely seeming to think past their inherent hatred of anything not born of darkness. I shoot two arrows into the Grimm in quick succession. The Beowolf looks up at me after falling to his side, injured. I'm just about to draw on my Aura once more when a horrible pain wracks my body. Abruptly, exhaustion hits me and I begin to descend. I've overextended my Aura. Flying all that way and conjuring energy arrows has finally brought my Aura level into the red. I begin to fall faster, all the while the pain makes me pull into myself. I curl into a ball subconsciously, trying to contain my agony. 'My healing abilities useless without the Aura needed to activate them, so I can't rid myself of the pain. The only thing that can help is rest.' I barely finish my thought before losing consciousness.

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Directly After Previous Events: Zamin

I finish off the very last Ursa in my immediate vicinity. Soon, the last one was sliced, diced, and disintegrating. I look up at the sky and roll my neck, working the slight kinks out. A small white and blue blur catches my eye as it falls from the sky. I do a double take and realize that the blur is Azura. I run as fast as I can, jumping at the last moment to catch her. She lands with a hard thump in my arms. I almost overbalance and fall over, but I catch myself just in time.

I look down at her curled form in concern. "What happened to you, Azura? One minute you were good, the next, you were falling straight outta the sky." I whisper this with uncertainty.

She groans, and I notice her pained expression. She begins to convulse erratically. I panic. "Jack, Raven! There's something wrong with Azura!"

Meanwhile: Ravena

I'm finishing up the few Ursai in front of me when I hear a slight whoosh go through the air. I turn to a Beowolf go down and look to the sky. I follow its gaze as I deliver a lunge toward the back of its neck. My blade slides into the back of the skull and up, piercing its brain. The last Beowolf falls dead at my feet. I look to the sky, seeing an object fall. The blue and white ball lands in the distance. Out of nowhere, I hear Zamin yell for us. I rush toward him, heart in my throat.

"Zamin! What's wrong?" I look on the ground, and spread out, convulsing, is Azura. I drop to my knees and send my Aura out to scout for any injuries. What I come across makes me gasp. "Her Aura is almost gone. Her body's going into shock." I place a hand over her heart and a hand over her belly button. "Stand back. I'm going to give her an Aura infusion, or she'll die." I steel myself in utter determination.

I activate my Aura and begin to gently prod around for her soul and find it close to her heart. I begin to tentatively touch her soul with my own, trying to mingle our Auras together. The feeling is like nothing I'd ever imagined. It's like I'm a part of her, entwined in her being like I am. I know I have little Aura to share, but I try to give her at least half of my own. I'd do anything for her to live. Soon enough, my soul ejects from hers, having spent enough of my own Aura to ensure both of us survive.

I pull out of my trance to see Azura glow her brilliant sky blue, the color her Aura emits. I bow my head over her as tears stream down my face. I caress her cheek tenderly. "I almost lost you, love. Don't ever do that to me again, ever." I lay my head on her shoulder. I sigh with relief when I feel her breathing return to normal. "Thank the gods." I whisper with gratitude.

I look up at the guys and smile through drying tears. "She's gonna make it."

Jack is the first to step forward. "That's great, Ravena." He gives me one of those weird partial smile he always does when he's at least a little happy. "While you were in your hour and a half trance, there, Zamin and I scouted the area. The den we were looking for was about half a mile from here. Apparently, my dramatic, anger filled rant brought them running. I apologize for the slip in my emotions." He bows his head in regret.

"You have nothing to apologize for. If nothing else, I should be the one saying sorry. I forced you to start remembering your past. It's my fault." Zamin also lowers his head in apology.

"Neither of you are at fault. It would have happened eventually, anyway. I'm just happy that I got to her in time. Much longer in that state, she wouldn't have made it." I gaze at Azura longingly. "We need to find Winter. Azura is in need of excess medical assistance. I'll call her."

I pull out my scroll and press her contact information. After a few short rings, he image appears on my screen. "Hello, Winter. We are in need of medical assistance."

A tap to my shoulder startles me. Standing behind me with her scroll out is Winter. "I know. I've already sent for help for the nearby hospital. They'll be here momentarily."

"What did I tell you about doing that?!" I yell at her. Beside me, Azura stirs. I stare down at her, gauging her awareness.

Slowly, her eyes blink open. "Wha… What happened?"

I smile and throw myself on her, hugging her close. "You're okay!"

I feel a tap on my lower back. "Rae, you're… uh… crushing me. Can't… breathe…" I let go quickly.

"Sorry about that, babe." I give a light laugh, nervously rubbing the back of my head. I look over to the boys to see them with their mouths hanging open. "What? Do I have something on my face?" I raise my hand to search my face.

Winter steps up to them and closes their jaws. "No, dear. They're just surprised at the obvious." She chuckles darkly.

Zamin is the first to talk. "So, uh… babe? When did… this… happen?" He gestures between us incredulously.

I raise my left eyebrow at him. "What are you talking about?"

He sputters a bit before Jack takes over. "He means you guys becoming a couple."

I rub the back of my head, embarrassed by my obliviousness. "Oh, that. Well, um… you see, it happened…"

I'm interrupted by Azura placing her hand over my mouth. "What she means is that it happened today, during our scouting." I lick her hand. "Ewww. That's gross, Rae. Why'd you do that?"

"Your hand was totally over my mouth. You were asking for it."

"Nuh uh. Just because I wanted to stop your weird babbling, it doesn't give you the right to spread your germs."

"Totally does, babe."

"Nope."

"Yep."

"No, it doesn't"

"Totally does."

Winter smacks me on the back of the head. "Enough, you two. The medical service has arrived. Azura, if you will, try to walk over there." She points to a small evac airship to our right.

"Of course." She tries to stand, but stumbles. I catch her just in time.

I smile sweetly. "How 'bout a hand, love?"

"Thanks." She smiles back and we make our way over to the airship and small medical staff that is in it.

"Which of you is the injured party?" An official looking man in blue scrubs and a clipboard walks up to us.

I point to the obvious 'injured party.' "She is, sir."

"Very well, come with me." He doesn't even look up.

I clench my teeth in anger. "Aren't you going to even see what happened to her? She could be dying!"

"Are you the doctor? No, I don't think so. Let me do my job." We walk into the airship. "Sit her down here. You may leave."

I look at him, affronted by his lackadaisical way of caring for Azura. "No. You listen here, you quack. I will stay here. You will be especially attentive to helping her regain her Aura, or I will personally see to it that you no longer have a job."

I can feel the anger and disbelief roll off of him in waves. "Who do you think you are, you little fuckin' punk?"

I laugh maniacally. "I'm a Schnee, mister. Any threat I make toward you is a promise."

He shrinks back in fear and swallow hard. "I… uh… Yes ma'am. Right away, ma'am." He proceeds to check her vitals and assess her physical condition. "Well, as far as I can tell, other than the slight burns in the peculiar shape of hand prints on your chest and stomach, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you physically. However, your Aura is dangerously low." He pulls out a small vial of strange clear liquid. "Drink this, and you may go." He turns around and pulls another vial from the same cabinet. "You, too. Yours is even lower than hers. It's a miracle that you're even conscious."

I take the vial and down it quickly, gagging at the foul taste. "That's gross. What exactly was that?"

"Aura booster. It helps you regain your Aura levels at an accelerated rate." He turns around, writes a bit of something I can't see on a clipboard, and then waves us out. "You can go now. You're in no immediate danger, now."

We exit the airship side by side. Azura suddenly pulls me aside and wraps her arms around my waist, pulling me close. "You were so hot in there when you went all… dominant. Mmmm. So hot." She leans our foreheads together and closes her eyes.

"Really?" My voice becomes just a bit husky.

I slowly move closer, where our lips are just about to touch, when Winter appears out of nowhere. "Hey, guys! Whatcha doin'?"

I pull away sharply. "Godsdamn it! Fuck! Did you have to ruin the moment?"

She tilts her head a little to the side. "Well, yeah. It's my civic duty to basically cock block all horny teenagers." She gives us this innocent look that I don't buy for a second.

"What the hell are you talking about? We were just going to kiss!"

"Mmmm. Exactly, my dear younger cousin. And kissing leads to… sex." She stage whispers the word sex.

"Do you really think that I'd resort to that this soon in a relationship?"

She ponders this for a bit. "Of course, I do. You're a Schnee. A Schnee always gets what they want." She waggles her eyebrows suggestively.

"Ugh. Gross. Not right now, Winter. Please stop with the... the… fuck, I don't even know what you're doing right now. Just stop it."

Beside me, Azura busts out laughing at us. "You guys are acting like you've known each other forever, when in all actuality, you've only met today. And you're so much alike, it's killing me!" She continues laughing as Winter and I stand in identical position with the same incredulous facial expression.

"We are nothing alike." Both of us speak at the same time. I turn my head toward her at the same instant she looks at me. With a second of looking each other up and down, we bust out laughing at ourselves.

"Oh gods, we are totally alike. I can't fuvking believe it. It's like we were seperated at birth or something, except she's older." I clutch my side as I use Azura as a crutch.

Jack and Zamin come in at one of our more awkward moments. Jack quirks his eyebrow. "I don't want to know, so don't tell me. But, here's the thing, We have six hours 'til midnight, so we better call for a transport now. We need to see our contact."

We all straighten out, having finished our laughing session. Winter straightens out her coat dramatically. "Of course. They're en route now."

Now, we have business to take care of. I look at Azura with slight apprehension. "Why do I feel like something else is going to go horribly wrong today?"

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **A/N: Well, this is the story, guys. There'll be a sequel out next update. Trust me, it's going to get better. Now that I have the majority of the introductions out of the way, I can get into the juicy action. More pairings to come, definitely violence, maybe a full blown war… Maybe another sequel? I don't know, probably. Follow, favorite, review, and watch for the sequel, k?**


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